TikTok's 86% Relationship Test: $60K MRR Couples App Opportunity

A woman films herself telling her boyfriend she saw a bird.

He doesn't look up from his phone.

56 million people watch the video. The comments explode. The verdict is unanimous: dump him.

This is Bird Theory—a 3-second relationship test that's taken over TikTok. Again. The trend first went viral in 2023, resurfaced in October 2025, and it's now bigger than ever. Videos tagged #birdtheory are pulling 150K to 4M views each. Morning shows are running the test live. The Philadelphia Eagles are filming their players trying it on each other.

Here's what everyone's missing: Bird Theory isn't just another TikTok trend. It's a wedge into a massive, underserved market.

The data tells the real story. Couples who stayed married turned toward each other's bids for connection 86% of the time. Couples who divorced? Just 33%. This isn't pop psychology. It's from John Gottman's six-year study tracking 130 newlywed couples.

Every ignored bird, every brushed-off comment, every "not now, babe"—they're votes for or against your relationship's future.

And right now, there's no product that owns this insight.

Dating apps are hemorrhaging users—a recent Forbes survey found 78% report feeling burned out. Meanwhile, the relationship maintenance market is exploding. Paired pulls in mid-six-figure monthly revenue with ~90K downloads. We're Not Really Strangers built 10 million followers across Instagram and TikTok selling connection card games.

The opportunity: Build the Bird Theory Lab. A micro-test platform that turns relationship science into daily 10-second experiments couples actually want to run.

Not therapy. Not another quiz app.

Experiments.

The Numbers That Matter

The relationship wellness space is having its moment.

The top 5% of newly launched subscription apps make $8,880 per month after their first year. Health & Fitness apps—where relationship apps live—hit $0.63 in median revenue per download at 60 days post-install, with top performers much higher.

Like a proper heister, dig in the peripheral:

The physical card game market is absolutely exploding. The global playing cards and board games market hit $20.25 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $40.95 billion by 2032, growing at 9.2% annually. Millennials and Gen Z are driving this—they want analog experiences that create real connection.

We're Not Really Strangers proves the model. They built 336 million TikTok views and 3 million followers by turning a card game into a cultural movement. Their content doesn't just sell cards—it creates a community around connection.

Now look at the subscription app landscape. While 12-month subscriber retention rates dropped 14% industry-wide, the average monthly subscription price is rising. People are willing to pay more for apps that deliver real value—but they're quicker to churn on mediocre products.

Here's the reality: Most subscription apps fail. RevenueCat data shows the vast majority never cross $1,000 in monthly revenue. But the top 5% hit $8,880/month after year one. The difference? Product-market fit and distribution.

Bird Theory Lab sits at the intersection of all these trends:

Viral TikTok behavior that's already validated
Proven relationship science from Gottman's research
A card game market growing at nearly 10% annually
Subscription economics that reward high engagement

Why Bird Theory Is Your Perfect Wedge

Most relationship apps feel like homework. "Journal about your feelings." "Take this 45-minute assessment." "Schedule weekly check-ins."

Bird Theory flips the script. It's not introspective—it's observational. You run a tiny experiment, observe what happens, log the result. Ten seconds. Done.

But here's the key: This isn't about "gotcha" moments. Relationship experts warn that Bird Theory can oversimplify complex dynamics when used as a hard verdict. Your product needs to frame these as data points for connection, not dealbreakers. Think Gottman's "turning toward" language, not "dump him."

The genius: Gottman identified three ways partners respond to bids: Turning Toward (acknowledging), Turning Away (ignoring), or Turning Against (hostile response). Every micro-test maps to one of these responses.

Here's your product taxonomy:

Attention Tests (Bird Theory variants)