burnt toast theory

English

Etymology

Possibly first used in a video posted April 4, 2023 to Instagram by @latenightepiphanies_, who explained: "it's basically the theory that if you burn your toast in the morning (something challenging happens), the time you spend making another toast may have saved you from a car accident. […] everything happens for a reason." The concept was popularized on TikTok around January 2024.

Proper noun

burnt toast theory

1. (Internet slang) The mindset that a seemingly negative event in a person's life could have actually prevented something even worse from occurring.
   • 2023 August 21, Raven Saunt, “’Burnt toast theory’ that promises to CURE anxiety and eradicate stress takes the internet by storm”, in Daily Mail‎^[2], London: DMG Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-11-16:

     A woman has been widely praised on social media after explaining how the 'burnt toast' theory can be a remedy for anxiety.

   • 2024 January 16, Shaeden Berry, “TikTok’s Burnt Toast Theory Is All About Embracing Life’s Frustrations”, in Refinery29‎^[3], archived from the original on 2024-01-30:

     So many of us search for ideas like the burnt toast theory to help us find meaning in terrible moments, but why?

   • 2024 January 18, “'Burnt Toast Theory': What It Is And Why It Went Viral”, in HuffPost‎^[4], archived from the original on 2024-01-29:

     One TikToker who applied burnt toast theory to her dating life said that under this helpful mindset, if "somebody ghosts you, great. They've spared you from their inability to communicate."