The olive theory is a

tongue-in-cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...

relationship theory stating two individuals are compatible, romantically or platonically, when one party hides their enjoyment of olives so their partner who also enjoys olives can have more of them. "Pilot." ''How I Met Your Mother'', created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, season 1, episode 1, CBS, September 19, 2005. If one individual gives their partner the olives on their plate, the relationship is balanced and a good match. The phrase saw a rise in popularity in early 2024 on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

, though it is mostly known for its appearance in the

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

episode of ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

''. Marshall gives his olives to Lily because she likes them and leads her to believe he dislikes them. Later on in the show, after being caught by Barney, it is revealed Marshall does like olives but sacrifices this to make Lily happy.

Origin

Paul Reiser

The term was first coined by comedian

Paul Reiser Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He played the roles of Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom ''My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 film ''Diner (1982 f ...

in his 1994 book ''Couplehood''.

''How I Met Your Mother''

The phrase is most known for its appearance in the ''Pilot'' episode of

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

sitcom ''

'' which first aired on September 19 2005. In the scene, Ted tells the story of his first date with Robin to

Lily ''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are ...

and

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

. Ted states that since Robin does not like olives but he does, they are compatible. Lily and Marshall add on that the olive theory works in their relationship, as Marshall always gives Lily his olives. However, it is later said that Marshall only pretended not to like them to make Lily happy.

Opposites attract misconception

The olive theory is wrongly assumed to be similar to the concept of

opposites attract "Opposites Attract" is a song by American singer Paula Abdul from her debut album, ''Forever Your Girl'' (1988). It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber. Vocals on the song, in addition to Abdul, were provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn ...

, an idea in which two people work well together when they have contrasting points in their personalities and lives. The idea of people being compatible because of tastes and preferences can be a good talking point early on in a relationship. However, this theory and others like it should not be taken too seriously in real life.

Online trend

TikTok has been the main platform for sharing how the olive theory presents itself in actual relationships and friendships. Creators have taken the liberty of getting creative with the concept by interchanging olives with whatever food or other characteristic applies to their dynamic with another person. These videos act as a fun way to demonstrate how they fit with others, how their relationship is stronger because of their small differences. Other similar trends include the orange peel theory.

References