Rescue Pug Noodle’s “Bone or No Bones” routine affects how millions live their lives

Meet Noodle, a 13 year old rescue dog who owns it Jonathan Graziano, draws and posts how he wakes his pug almost every morning on TikTok.

A bone day means you should get out of bed and make the most of your day, Graziano said. If you’ve put something off, a bone day is the day for it, he added.

A boneless day is a day to implement self-care and engage in activities that are more inward, Graziano explained.

Over 4 million followers on TikTok are excited to see what day Graziano – no, really, Noodle – should have.

“I had absolutely no idea that this would become the barometer that the nation would use to predict how their day would go,” he said.

Many followers turn to Graziano to let him know how they lived their life after Noodle e.g.

“People told me this was a reason to buy lottery tickets and they won a lot of money,” Graziano said.

Certainty in an uncertain world

Well, we understand that Noodle’s morning videos are akin to reading a horoscope and are a fun narrative because he’s an adorable animal. So says Neil Dagnall, lecturer in applied cognitive psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University in England.

“Life is full of uncertainty, and Noodle’s actions provide some form of orientation and reassurance for some,” said Dagnall.

Social media can also become a habit, so people may feel compelled to keep up to date in case they miss something, he explained.

The trend is similar to superstitious behavior, which is a common but irrational belief in supernatural influences, Dagnall said. It is no different than when other animals predict the outcomes of major sporting events, he added.

“The power of the narrative comes from its following, influence, and tendency of some people to provide examples of corroborative evidence,” Dagnall said.

Either way, Noodle’s predictions give people a positive outcome, with people either pursuing their ambitions or taking care of themselves, he said. It is only potentially harmful for a person to base their life decisions on Noodle and be inflexible with their choices, Dagnall said.

So stay flexible, Noodle fans! The pug’s rise to internet fame may have taken place over a few months, but Graziano said he’s been doing this morning routine since adopting Noodle six years ago.

Graziano also lives his life according to Noodle’s predictions, for example by wearing soft clothing like sweatpants on boneless days.

“I think it was just a really nice reason for people to either get up in the morning or take better care of themselves,” he said.