Did you get dumped recently? Maybe it’s because you’re a Dorito

Relationships end for all kinds of reasons, from the tiniest ick spoiling a fledgling romance to the discovery that your partner’s actually been an undercover police officer for the past 20 years.

Thankfully this story leans on the more ridiculous rather than devastating forms of breakup — a Doritos-based dumping.

The Doritos theory took off in 2024 and quickly caused a stir on social media, particularly on TikTok which has seemingly become the home of all intense but fleeting fads.

So, how can Doritos help you to check whether your new romance — or even an old one — will stand the test of time?

Is your relationship like a Dorito? (Getty Images/Tony Anderson)

One popular video from @celeste.aria demystified the matter by explaining that Doritos are addictive because they’re only briefly satisfying as they’re eaten and they don’t satisfy hunger like a more protein-rich snack.

The theory is rooted in the idea of minimal satisfaction leading to maximal addictiveness, and applying this frame of mind to other areas of your life might be surprising.

That’s particularly true when it comes to the people in your life, or so the Doritos theory would have you believe.

“The idea is that only experiences that aren't truly satisfying are maximally addictive,” said Celeste in her video.

"So imagine eating Doritos. When you eat a Dorito and finish your bite, you're not fully satisfied.

"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.”

She went on to say that the “peak of the experience is kind of when you're first tasting it and not after…the experience itself is not satisfying in the end”.

For the full effect, eat a bag of Doritos, really focus on how you’re almost satisfied but not quite, and then spend a day with your partner and see if they too are a tasty snack that doesn’t quite fill you up. Or… something to that effect.

"With Dorito theory — just this idea that things that aren’t actually satisfying are the ones that are maximally addictive and that’s why I want them — I think I can identify those areas and try to avoid them more effectively,” she said, speaking more broadly about her life.

She recommended ditching anything in your life that “falls in the Dorito category”.

Delicious, moreish, but ultimately unsatisfying... a nacho chip or your partner? (Getty Images/Karl Tapales)

According to psychologist Reneé Carr, there’s some merit in this idea.

"Not experiencing satiation when engaging in a particular activity or in a relationship can influence you into staying in a situation that is not truly satisfying, not healthy and not happy," she said in a report by USA Today.

“Because you experience just enough satisfaction, we mistakenly think that full satisfaction is possible – leading us to stay longer or invest more energy unnecessarily.”

Naturally, plenty of people on TikTok found this Doritos wisdom to be particularly enlightening.

"Wow, this is game-changing," said one such acolyte.

"Yes,” said another. “The men who barely give me what i need. I’ve been learning to give them up quicker once I found out [about Dorito theory]," said another.

"My situationship is defo a Dorito," a third said, presumably not long before promptly dumping their partner. Some might consider that a bullet dodged for the partner in question.

While we’re musing on the Dorito theory, it’s worth noting that there are other ways of framing the things and people in your life, such as with cigarettes.

Like, sure, they might be satisfying, but are they slowly killing you?

Food for thought.