What do Doritos have to do with your addiction to social media or your continuing of bad relationships? That’s assuming that your relationships haven’t involved burying each other under mounds of Doritos. Well, something called the “Dorito Theory” has been making its rounds on TikTok. As is often the case on social media, it’s not clear who actually came up with term “Dorito Theory.” But a TikTok video post from @celeste.aria_ that summarized this theory within a minute-and-a-half has gotten over 92.6K likes. In this video, she explained the allure of Doritos and other chips: “Eating potato chips is addictive because the peak of the experience is when you’re tasting it, and not after.” She continued by saying, “There’s nothing that exists actually once the experience is done.”
Indeed, you probably don’t look at an empty bag of chips after you’ve wolfed down all its contents and think, “I’m really glad I did that. That’s really going to advance my social situation, my career and my health. And my spirituality, wow, just wow!” Instead, each chip may have given you momentary pleasure while it was breaking apart like a little shingle in your mouth. But once it went down the hatch, your next thought might be, “Oh, what happened to that taste? Where’s the next one?”
Without feeling satiated as you might after a real meal like chicken and eggs, you could simply keep eating one chip and another and another until you run out of chips. Since chips typically aren’t exactly packed with good-for-you nutrients, this could lead to the unhealthy consumption of salt and calories. The same can apply to other addictive foods and beverages such as candy. soda and alcoholic drinks. After all, how often do you wake up with a hangover, dressed up like a circus clown with someone whom you don’t know sleeping besides you in the bed and say, “This is how I want to feel all the time?”
Such a phenomenon can apply to a range of other addictive behaviors, including those that don’t involve putting things in your mouth—or maybe they do depending on what’s your thing. For example, this could be the case when you are mired in certain dating and relationship cycles. Say you get a big rush when you first have sex with someone new. Or maybe you are attracted to qualities or situations that aren’t necessary good for you but momentarily slam down on the dopamine pedal. It could be that wild, Dogecoin fluctuating drama that always keeps you on your toes. This constant need-for-more could keep you bouncing from relationship to relationship, stuck in one drama-filled one or seeking the wrong person rather a more stable, consistent and ultimately more satiating and fulfilling partner who is right for you.
Social media can be a chip off the same block too. How many social media posts leave you with more than just temporary feelings? How many posts help you achieve satiation to the point where you can put the mobile device down and do things like go to the bathroom, sleep and communicate with your family? As a result, you may just keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, looking for more of that feeling. To be truly satisfying, a social media experience has to be “More Than A Feeling,” in the words of that Boston song.
Of course, the “Dorito Theory” present only one element of addiction, which can be a lot more complex. A number of other factors can contribute to your being addicted to something or continuing bad habits. But this theory can help bring new perspective to what you are doing. As is the case with a bag of Doritos, when you are approaching any situation, ask yourself, “How will I feel after all that?” If the answer is “not so good,” then it may not be your bag.
