Ever heard of The Bean Soup Theory?

The Bean Soup Theory is one of those internet moments that feels light hearted on the surface, but reveals something much deeper about how we interact online. 

It began with a simple TikTok video that was created and shared by vibinggranolamom in 2023, about a vegan high-iron bean soup recipe. It’s a nice video – nothing complicated, nothing controversial, it’s literally just a recipe for a bean soup. 

And yet, the comments were filled with suggestions from people about what they would use instead, and plenty of ridiculous questions. 

My favourite is “Any alternatives for people that don’t like beans and don’t like kale or spinach?” – essentially a demand for substitutions that would fundamentally change the dish.

It is this where the Bean Soup Theory was born and it has become quite the phenomenon. It describes the tendency for people to project their own preferences, limitations, or experiences onto content that was never meant to cater to them in the first place. Instead of engaging with what is being offered, the response becomes centred on how it does or does not work for the individual watching.

At its heart, the Bean Soup Theory taps into something very human. We all move through the world on a daily basis as the main character in our own lives (and that is perfectly ok to do so for the most part), but it is often easy to forget that we are not the main character in everyone else’s. When we come across content online, there can be a natural instinct to view it through our own preferences and experiences, even when it was never intended to speak directly to us as an individual.

The Bean Soup example is harmless, but the same pattern shows up in many places online. Advice posts, routines, budgeting ideas, productivity tips and personal reflections often attract responses that focus on why something would not work for a particular individual. In those moments, the original idea can get lost as attention shifts towards exceptions rather than the broader point being made.

Social media makes this an easy trap to fall into. Everything is presented side by side and the line between content meant for us and content simply shared into the world can blur. When that happens, it becomes harder to quietly take what is useful, leave what is not, or simply keep scrolling without feeling the need to comment.

And as a social media manager, I see it all the time. I genuinely that believe most of it doesn’t come from a negative place, but from a mixture of habit, overexposure and the way social media encourages constant engagement. When everything invites a reaction, it becomes easy to respond automatically rather than pausing to consider whether something actually needs our input or was simply shared for someone else.

For me, the Bean Soup Theory is more about awareness than judgement. Not every idea needs my input or adaptation to be valid. Sometimes, something can exist just as it is, for someone else, and that is enough.

Quite simply, if you don’t like beans, don’t make bean soup. Find a recipe using ingredients that you like or aren’t allergic to. That’s it. And recognising that can be a surprisingly freeing thing.