The “burnt toast effect” is a metaphor used to describe how small, seemingly insignificant events can have a significant impact on larger outcomes. It is often associated with the concept of the butterfly effect in chaos theory, where minor changes in initial conditions can lead to vastly different results.
For example, imagine you are preparing breakfast and accidentally burn your toast. This small mishap causes you to spend extra time making a new slice, which results in you leaving the house a few minutes later than usual. Because of this delay, you miss your usual train and have to take the next one. On this later train, you meet someone who eventually becomes a close friend or even a business partner. Thus, the simple act of burning toast leads to a chain of events that significantly alters your life.
This effect highlights the interconnectedness of events and how minor occurrences can set off a cascade of changes, leading to unexpected and sometimes profound outcomes.
— learnt this from a girl called Riha