There are plenty of reasons to like October – it’s peak pumpkin patch and costume season, there are fun seasonal coffee drinks everywhere, and the month generally has ideal weather to show off light sweaters.
This year, October has a new meaning, thanks to the social media app TikTok. There, users have been posting about “October Theory” and as of Thursday there were 36 million posts about it on the app. The #octobertheory hashtag alone had 7.1 million views by Friday.
So… what is October Theory?
“I literally see people all over my ‘For You’ page all day talking about this ‘October Theory,’ but no one’s actually gotten into explaining what that actually is and what that means, so I did my research,” said content creator Chloe van Berkel in a post that had nearly 127,000 likes as of Friday.
She explained that the theory positions October as a “second New Year’s of the year” when people feel pressure to make big changes and life decisions.
She also noted that it’s a time when things seem to go by “super-fast” as the holiday season approaches.
Under the shadow of the impending holiday season, October not only marks the start of spooky season by the start of cuffing season. That’s a time when people couple up to avoid being alone during the holidays.
Kelly Sites, another content creator, also posted about October Theory in a video with more than 71,000 likes. She called it a ‘mini-January” and recommended that people look at their camera roll photos from October going back five years to see the changes that take hold during that month.
“I just looked it up and it is so real,” she said.
Both van Berkel and Sites had to look up October Theory, which begs the question: where did it come from?
According to the Daily Dot, the origins of the theory can be traced back to TikTok posts from 2023, “most notably from TikToker Macy (@macyymorgan_).” It said Macy “talked about how the holidays make people reflect on their past year and want to get their ‘butt into gear’ to improve themselves.”
While those first posts were from a year ago, the trend didn’t take off until this autumn.
Izzy Utterson (@izzyutterson), a 27-year-old a content creator from London, discussed the growing trend with Newsweek. She posted an October Theory video that garnered 25,800 views and explained that Ocotber kicks off a 90-day lead up to the new year that can be a catalyst time for self-reflection and personal growth. That fits in with October’s designation as World Mental Health Month.
“The October Theory to me is this idea that October is a transformative period in our life. It’s three months until the New Year, so we start to really reflect on what's behind us and look to the year ahead,” she told Newsweek. Per the outlet, others have tied the trend to the astrological sign Libra, represented by scales and characterized by equality.
“According to Inbaal Honigman, a psychic and astrologer, the first three weeks of October are Libra season, a time of balance, ideas, thoughts, and planning,” said Bustle.
Therapist Seth Eisenberg also discussed the trend with Newsweek.
“October brings a natural shift in seasons, and with it, a subtle reminder of cycles, change, and renewal,” he said. “Eisenberg explained that the transition from summer’s busyness to autumn’s quieter energy prompted many people to slow down, and that this deceleration provided space for personal assessment.”
To make the most of this time, Eisenberg recommended engaging in such as journaling or meditation.
Brianna Paruolo, LCMHC, a psychotherapist and founder of On Par Therapy, explained to Bustle that the aesthetic and physical changes associated with autumn can have an impact on us.
“The autumn season often sparks a natural inclination for transformation,” she told the outlet. “As the leaves change color and fall, we’re reminded of the beauty in letting go and embracing new beginnings.”
Paurolo also agreed with TikTokers who have pointed out the benefits of getting a jump start on New Year’s resolutions in October. By the time Jan. 1 rolls around, they can expand on them.
It might be trending right now, but finding beauty and transformative power in October isn’t exactly new. In 2021, John-Manuel Andriote wrote an article on how to live an “October Life” for Psychology Today. He referenced an even older appreciation of the month.
“Consider October,” said Andriote. “In his final essay, October, or Autumnal Tints, New England poet Henry David Thoreau called October ‘the month for painted leaves.’ It’s the month when you might say the leaves show their true colors, the stuff they are made of, which their summer green has masked. ‘I think that the change to some higher color in a leaf,’ said Thoreau, ‘is an evidence that it has arrived at a late and perfect maturity, answering to the maturity of fruits.’”