Taking apart the popular theory of burnt toast. How is it useful and why is it dangerous?

Social networks today not only develop, but also teach us about life. From them, you can learn both simple everyday life hacks and psychology tips that can completely turn your consciousness upside down. And the most important thing here is not to follow the instructions blindly. Especially if the flyhacks belong to the second category and can affect your mental health. It is important to treat everything critically: to see both the benefits and possible pitfalls.

Take for example the theory of burnt toast, which has recently been actively spreading in social networks. It seems to be a useful and inspiring idea… But is everything so unambiguous?

What is the theory behind it?

If very briefly, the idea is to look for positive moments in any life situations. A girl named Ingrid, who posted a viral video in her social networks, called for this. She came up with the title – the theory of burnt toast.

The girl described a situation when, because of a spilled cup of coffee on her pants or burnt toast, she was forced to waste time to change clothes and was late for work, where an important business meeting was scheduled. However, afterward, it was learned that the bus she failed to catch had been involved in an accident….

So, according to the theory, any failures in life do not happen by chance. Adversity serves as a kind of defense against larger negative events. Hence the advice – do not hurry to get upset because of small failures and look for positive aspects in everything.

Since the video has gained a lot of popularity (more than 100 thousand views), we can conclude that people liked the idea. We want to see the positive and believe that everything is for the better. What is there to be afraid of? Let’s understand the pros and cons together with a psychologist.

How to apply the theory in life?

Psychologists assess this trend as an opportunity to soberly and objectively assess what is happening. It teaches you to compare your own failures with the tragedies of others. The loss of gloves, for example, will not seem so significant against the background of a car accident.

The theory of burnt toast teaches us positive thinking, which undoubtedly has a positive effect on success and overall well-being. But there is a downside to it – a person in such a situation may begin to rely completely on the will of chance and stop actively working and changing their life for the better.

Business and clinical psychologist

“The theory of burnt toast is a new phenomenon, but it is based on the long-standing wisdom of the Russian people: whatever is done, is done for the best. This approach has for centuries helped people find strength and hope in difficult times. But a person should not rely only on the Universe when facing problems. One must be able to take responsibility for one’s actions and decisions.”

From a physiological point of view, learning to think positively is important. It affects our health, mood and behavior. A positive attitude makes people friendly and open-minded, which greatly improves relationships and helps build careers. People who look at challenges with ease are much less likely to suffer from heart disease and have lower levels of stress and depression.

But despite the several benefits of positive thinking, you can’t ignore or deny reality. The burnt toast theory is useful in life if used in moderation and approached critically. You shouldn’t deny or ignore emotions when things go wrong, it’s important to recognize and express them in a healthy way.

You shouldn’t use the burnt toast theory as an excuse for passivity or inaction. This theory is just an opportunity to revisit current problems and easily move past them on the path to personal and professional growth.

Thus, the burnt toast theory is not suitable for all situations and people. There are cases when it is impossible to find any positive meaning in what is happening. For example, when people lose loved ones, suffer from illnesses. In such cases, professional help or support from others is needed.

The theory can be useful to reduce the level of stress and anxiety in everyday life. But we should not forget that in some cases a more serious approach to analyzing the situation is necessary. It is important to be able to balance between easy perception and deep analysis in order to achieve harmony in life.