TikTok’s “orange peel” test was not really about your partner peeling an orange ― it became a way of testing your partner’s initiative and desire to make your life easier in small, but important, ways.
Similarly, the Doritos test has almost nothing to do with the tortilla chip itself (though I reckon checking to see if your potential beau will steal your fave crisps is a worthy trial, too).
Instead, the trending challenge makes you question whether you’re with your partner because you passionately love each other ― or if it’s just tolerable enough to make you put off leaving “for now,” with “later” never quite seeming to come.
How?
TikToker @celeste_aria says it’s to do with satiety.
“So imagine eating Doritos. When you eat a Dorito and finish your bite, you’re not fully satisfied,” she explained.
“It’s not the same as eating a steak or eating really satiating food that’s high in protein, where after you bite you really feel that fullness and that warmth of satisfaction.”
And because a Dorito doesn’t really fill you up, you keep reaching for the bag, hoping for an elusive sense of fulfilment, she says.
It’s “this idea that the things that aren’t actually satisfying are the ones that are maximally addictive and that’s why I want them.”
She adds that it doesn’t have to apply to relationships ― it’s true of work, social media use, and a litany of other “I do it because it’s good enough for now, and I’m too tired to make ‘later’ happen” life choices.
The theory seemed to resonate with commenters
One commenter pointed to Gabor Maté’s line, “It’s hard to get enough of something that almost works.“
Another said “this explains situationships” (as a serial situationship survivor, I can confirm this rings true).
Another person relisted a man as “Dorito” in their phone, while others flated deleted their TikTok account after watching the clip.
Hey, in Dorito veritas...