{"id":15672,"date":"2022-04-05T11:49:03","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T11:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uxmag.com\/?p=15672"},"modified":"2022-04-29T15:21:18","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T15:21:18","slug":"the-fascinating-psychology-tricks-that-make-wordle-so-addictive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uxmag.com\/articles\/the-fascinating-psychology-tricks-that-make-wordle-so-addictive","title":{"rendered":"The Fascinating Psychology Tricks That Make WORDLE So Addictive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It started a few weeks ago. Tiny, colorful squares started popping up on my Twitter feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At first, I only saw one or two. But this week, almost my entire feed became a series of tiny yellow, green, and grey boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ladies and gentlemen \u2014 we have reached peak Wordle.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People can\u2019t stop playing. But what is it that makes Wordle so addicting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out, there are some fascinating psychology and behavioral science principles behind the rise of this simple word puzzle\u2014 whether the inventors know it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Wordle uses Scarcity to stand out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Wordle only offers one game a day. Players complete a single puzzle and that\u2019s it \u2014 win or lose. Wordle doesn\u2019t offer the never-ending dopamine rush of a Candy Crush or Bejewelled, and that\u2019s what gives it power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The time between games gives people a chance to pause. Players chat about that day\u2019s game with family and friends, research first word strategies, or commiserate on the difficulty of today\u2019s puzzle. And this pause makes people start to crave the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why does having fewer Wordles available make people want to play it more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s all down to a psychology principle called Scarcity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Scarcity?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This principle says when people know something is in limited supply, they want it even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without this use of Scarcity, Wordle wouldn\u2019t have been as addicting, and probably not as popular as it is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. When you share a Wordle, people notice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Colorful Wordle results are all over social media. Their visual language is unique, intriguing, and eye-catching. It feels like those green, grey, and yellow boxes tell an epic story, contained in a sequence of tiny squares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The visual language of Wordle also makes it extremely meme-able. It\u2019s easy for people to take the visual language and repackage it in different ways, like so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But why is Wordle\u2019s visual language more appealing than just sharing a pure text update like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday\u2019s Wordle results \u2014 fives greens in four moves.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s down to a psychology principle called the Picture Superiority Effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Picture Superiority Effect?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This principle says<\/a> that people remember and understand images better than words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So not only are Wordle results easy to understand and remember \u2014 they also convey an emotional journey that could take hundreds of words to describe, in one small picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Sharing makes it easy to go viral<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Behavioral scientists have found<\/a> that making an activity social is key in getting people to do it. From quitting smoking to riding a Peloton<\/a>, having ways to share results, connect with friends, and show off your progress makes creating a new habit easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wordle makes sharing your results across social media incredibly easy. As soon as you\u2019re done, a \u201cshare\u201d button is just begging for you to blast your anonymized results across cyberspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. How Wordle creates a habit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Wordle\u2019s design makes it easy to create an enjoyable addiction. But what are the mechanics of creating this habit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer lies in a model discovered by MIT researchers<\/a>. The \u201cHabit Loop\u201d describes the basic structure behind every habit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. The trigger<\/li>
  2. The routine<\/li>
  3. The reward<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    What is Wordle\u2019s Habit Loop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    1. Trigger:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    There are a few triggers that get people to start playing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n