Is the ‘orange peel theory’ really a good test of your relationship?
As with many things popularised by TikTok, the “orange peel theory” could, at first glance, appear to be a supreme oversimplification of something defined by complex nuances. The idea runs thus: if your partner loves you, they will perform small tasks for you that you are perfectly capable of doing yourself, almost as an act of service. One such task being, for example, peeling an orange for you, because you don’t like doing it. According to the theory’s proponents, your partner’s response can be taken as a major indicator of the wider relationship – signifying whether someone is prepared to do things solely to make you happy.
It gained mainstream traction in November 2023, and has recently gone viral again after a woman called Shelby seemingly put
