Boundaries around access help distinguish intimacy from curiosity.

Not everyone asking about your life is close to you. Intimacy involves reciprocity, history, and demonstrated care; curiosity just wants the answer. Boundaries around access are what keep the two from being treated identically, because without them anyone with a question gets the same as someone who has earned it. The line protects the meaning of closeness.

Before answering a personal question, consider what this person has shared with you and what they have done with what you gave them before. Let that decide the depth of your answer. Access should reflect the relationship, not the persistence of the asker.