It feels like every time I open TikTok, there’s some new trend taking over the platform, with countless videos filling up my feed connected to the latest viral sensation.
Between the dozens of “Beez in the Trap” videos occupying my feed the past few days are videos of individuals telling their partners about seeing birds. Yes, I said birds. Thousands of users are jumping on what has become known as the “Bird Theory” trend in which they tell their partner they saw a bird today and record their partner’s reaction.
So why have couples been flocking to TikTok talking about their encounters with birds they never saw?
The Viral TikTok Bird Theory Trend is Based on the Bid Relationship Test
Ironically, these “Bird Theory” videos have nothing to do with bird videos or aren’t even about birds at all. The viral TikTok trend is all about testing your relationship by using a scientific method known as the “Bid Test” to gauge your partner’s engagement.
While the trend has only just taken off on TikTok, the “Bid Theory” was established back in the '90s after researchers, led by Dr. John Gottman, studied a group of couples in hopes of identifying what helps make a healthy relationship. Gottman’s team asked the couples a variety of questions during initial interviews, and then brought the couples back six years later where the couples were divided into two groups: those who were still together and those who had since separated.
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After reviewing the tapes from the couples’ interviews, he came to the conclusion that successful couples are attentive. They listen to one another, no matter the subject, and actively engage with their partner when the other person wants to speak and have a conversation.
Gottman’s research established what would become one of the core principles for his philosophy for building successful relationships in that “healthy couples constantly make and accept bids to connect.”