Body + Mind is reader-supported. We may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through some of the links on our site.
Sometimes, you can’t help but overthink about your relationship. Even healthy connections can still bring those moments at those times. However, it’s important not to give into relationship analysis gimmicks like the green line test. It initially seems harmless, but giving weight to the outcome can do more harm than good for you and your partner.
The green line test is an online trend for analyzing photos of people in a relationship. Participants check each individual’s posture and draw a green line to mimic how their body is positioned. Afterward, they try to see whether one person is leaning into the other.
If green lines are parallel, the two people in the photo have a balanced relationship. If one green line is slightly tilted toward the other, they are the submissive ones in the relationship.
The green line test has come and gone over the years, starting out as a meme back in 2020 when X user Rivelino started doing the analysis. The trend eventually settled on TikTok, where people would check up on celebrity couples like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
Most people conducting the green line test can sound credible by how assertive they are with their readers in a photo. As a result, people in relationships may try it out on pictures of themselves and their partner. However, it may be healthier to skip this trend for several reasons.
Just don’t do the green line test on a famous personality or even a personal friend. We never know what’s going on in a picture alone. Context can influence one’s interpretation of any visual material. And unfortunately, most visual material lacks that explanation.
What if one person is leaning toward the other because they just learned terrible news about a loved one and needed emotional support? Or if they had just stubbed their toe and needed to prop themselves on the other physically.
Even if you have a video with some information about what’s happening between two people, you still don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes. Whatever predictions you have could be wildly inaccurate in the long run.
The green line test’s primary basis is non-verbal gestures like posture. It’s true that seeing changes in body language in real life can help you feel more attuned to how a person is feeling. However, it misses two key elements— processing the moment in real-time and having different factors as context clues.
The green line test inherently focuses on how a couple poses for a picture, offering little information. Hand placement and eye contact are only ever treated as a final measure for people to nitpick on.
The green line test also ignores factors like height difference and camera placement. Rather than an objective evaluation when analyzing couple photos, it’s mostly personal bias speaking.
What is the correct outcome of a green line test? For some people, parallel lines are ideal. They believe this posture hints at both parties feeling secure in their relationship to not lean into one another.
Others think having the man lean into the woman is better, as it’s a show of being the more reliable. Meanwhile, some believe that having men lean in is better because it shows that they’re not afraid of vulnerability.
Ultimately, there’s not exactly one correct answer regarding the green line test. It all comes down to personal preference. If you want a specific dynamic with your partner, it’s better to communicate it instead rather than wait and be annoyed at your photos together.
Remember how the green line test started out as a meme? It’s because the person who started the trend was bashing men for leaning into the women. People created parodies to poke fun at toxic masculinity and how it encourages men to assert their dominance in relationships.
The test has evolved much more over the years. For example, toxic men were getting mad when the so-called “claw” would appear. The term refers to a woman’s hand on the other’s shoulder or waist, believing it’s a controlling and emasculating action.
The evaluating process is quite silly, so don’t obsess over the pose. And even if the results were true, your relationship isn’t doomed because the woman is leading. An unconventional dynamic is not a bad one, especially if it works for you and your loved one.
Despite how ridiculous the green line test is, it is still quite popular across different social media platforms. Relationship analysis may stem from the need to better understand what two people are like and whether they’ll work out in the end.
Leave the problem to the two parties involved. If you gravitate towards making the green lines for your own relationship, pause for a second. Is it a good confirmation of how you and your partner are around each other?
People who don’t pass the green line test sometimes go on to find happiness and fulfillment in their relationship. Some do an incredible job of standing straight from each other all the time but break up.
You may want a balanced relationship with a good dynamic. The green line test may be a good indicator, but it won’t reveal any new information. Plus, relationship anxiety can inadvertently bring the abandonment you fear and avoid.
If you want to improve your relationship, skip the green line test. Here are core attributes to work on with your partner:
The green line test is quite interesting, but don’t read into it too much. It doesn’t have the best origins, and the results are more or less inaccurate. Seek healthier ways to have a balanced relationship if you want to analyze your and your partner’s dynamics.
Your email address will only be used to send you our newsletter, and at any time you may unsubscribe. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.
