bean soup theory

noun

The idea that people cannot grasp or engage with an issue or opinion unless it is of personal interest to themselves.

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Meanings

nounbean soup theory (uncountable)
  1. uncountablesocial mediaThe idea that people cannot grasp or engage with an issue or opinion unless it is of personal interest to themselves.

Origin

In reference to a recipe for bean soup posted on TikTok in 2023 that received comments from people complaining that they did not like beans.

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Cite this entry
APA

bean soup theory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bean%20soup%20theory

MLA

“bean soup theory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bean%20soup%20theory. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bean soup theory,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bean%20soup%20theory.

Source: bean soup theory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.