The Green Line Test for Couples: What It Is & Whether or Not It Works

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Is there any science behind this green line theory TikTok trend?

Co-authored by Aly Rusciano Reviewed by Gavin Santiago

Last Updated: September 16, 2025 Fact Checked

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• What is the green line test?
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• How to Do the Green Line Test
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• What the Science Says
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• Why is it popular?
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• Video

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Is the green line test a cutting-edge form of movement analysis, or just a complex meme based on borderline-absurdist humor? This viral phenomenon can be hard to pin down, especially when some people seem deeply invested in using the test while other people seem to be poking fun at it. In this article, we’ll help you make sense of it all with help from trend expert and content creator Gavin Santiago. We’ll break down what the green line test is, how you perform it, and whether or not the theory is even valid.

What is the green line theory?

Trend expert and content creator Gavin Santiago says the green line theory is a social media trend based on the idea that a person will lean into their partner in photos if they’re insecure, or stand up straight if they’re confident. There’s no scientific basis for this test, and the entire idea is based on a faulty premise.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

What is the green line test?

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   The test supposedly shows who is “in power” in a relationship. The green line test is based on a theory that you can tell who is more dominant and in charge in a relationship based on how each person stands when they take photos together. Santiago says that according to the theory, whoever leans in is more codependent in the relationship and insecure, and whoever stands up straight is confident and in charge.

   • Santiago explains that “the idea is to draw a line going straight through each person’s body and see which direction either line is pointing.”
   • If both partners stand up perfectly straight, then they’re supposedly true equals in the relationship.

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Gavin Santiago is a trend expert and content creator. He shares commentaries, pop culture hot takes, and deep dives with his over 45k followers on TikTok.
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   The green line test went viral on TikTok after a Twitter post. A user on Twitter posted photos of celebrity couples with the green lines demonstrating who was or wasn’t a dominant male. Part of the internet thought it was hilarious, while another part of the internet thought it was incredibly deep and insightful. The debate went to TikTok, where it blew up as a viral trend.

   • Santiago explains, "It gained traction as a theory a couple of years ago when a creator by the name of Jack Mac began posting videos theorizing that for photos of couples that are not taken candidly, like those where they are in position and ready for a photo, you can normally see that one partner is typically leaning into the other, whereas the other partner is standing up straight and “confidently”. Jack theorizes that the partner who is leaning in is normally the one who is more codependent in the relationship and insecure in themselves."
   • "Countless celebrity couples have been analyzed with this theory, and depicted by green lines illustrating their center of gravity. For example, Barack and Michelle Obama with Barack leaning into Michelle," adds Santiago.
   • The green line test got a renewed dose of interest after Will Smith and Chris Rock got into it at the Oscars in 2022. TikTokers realized that Will Smith was leaning in towards Jada Pinkett Smith in every photo they took, and this renewed the debate on the green line test’s validity.
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Section 2 of 4:

How do you perform a green line test?

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   Draw a line through the center of each person in a photo of a couple. You can use any photo of any two people in theory, but the green line test is most commonly applied to couples. Once you’ve got the image, draw a vertical green line going from each person’s neck to the base of their booty. This should give you two green lines to compare.

   • The lines don’t actually have to be green—the color is technically irrelevant—but Twitter and TikTok users just use green because the original posts used green.
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   Compare the angles of each green line to find who’s in charge. With each line drawn, ask yourself, “Who is leaning in towards whom?” Alternatively, are both people in the photo standing up straight, or maybe even leaning away from one another? According to the green line test believers, you now know who’s in charge.

   • If both people are standing up straight, the relationship is supposedly equitable and both people are dominant personalities.
   • If one person is leaning in, they’re worried about losing their partner, and they may be “whipped,” less commanding, or more insecure, according to this theory.
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Section 3 of 4:

Is the green line test legit?

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   No, there’s no evidence that the green line test is legit. “I don’t believe the theory is actually legit,” agrees Santiago. He says, “If one partner is leaning into the other for a photo, I think it’s just a sign of affection for one another.” Additionally, the way people stand up in photos has more to do with comfort and photogenics than anything else.

   • People naturally pose in a way that feels comfy and attractive. Leaning one way or another doesn’t reveal anything about how dominant your personality is.
   • A lot of men lean in when they take photos with their girlfriend or wife because they’re taller. It’s natural for tall people to occasionally lean downward to include themselves in a photo.
   • Some people just aren’t all that great at taking photos. If someone tends to look a little schlubby or they have bad posture in photos, it doesn’t mean they aren’t confident or secure.
   • Santiago adds that “it’d be a little strange if [the people in the couple] were both standing up straight with perfect posture in every photo they took together, anyway.”
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   The concept of the green line test relies on a faulty premise. The entire idea of the green line test assumes that there’s something wrong with not being dominant in a relationship. Relationships aren’t competitions, and the vast majority of long-term relationships are built on a foundation of trust and mutual respect. It’s not like every relationship secretly has someone in charge.

   • A lot of the green line test discourse also implies that there’s something wrong with a woman being “in charge” of a relationship, which is kind of silly.
   • Santiago agrees, saying that the theory might be a joke, an idea rooted in misogyny, or a combination of both. He says the reality is simpler, and that “couples [who] are happy together… like to show affection for one another when taking photos together.”
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Section 4 of 4:

Why is the green line test so popular?

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   It was an attractive test for the “alpha male” crowd online. There’s a small subset of guys out there who are heavily invested in ranking men based on how dominant they are. For these folks, the green line test represents a more tangible and “scientific” way of ranking people based on how dominant they are.

   • This isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with doing a green line test analysis. So long as you aren’t putting anyone down and you’re just doing it for fun, there’s no problem.
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   It became a meme when people realized how silly it was. Most of the internet now uses the green line test as a bit of a joke. Like, if there’s news that Dwayne Johnson is going to star in a movie about tap dancers, you might post a photo of Dwayne Johnson and draw a green line through his back. It’s just a fun way of poking fun at someone’s masculinity or authority.
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