Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 81
The psychology behind Wordle's success, historic housing supply issues, Micah Recommends, New Yorker Cartoon of the Week, a special Valentine's Day Recipe Corner, and more.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting.
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Psychology experts explain the sudden obsession with Wordle
Micah’s Read of the Week introduced the world to Wordle five weeks ago. Since then, the game has blown up and its developer secured the bag, selling to The New York Times. I think it’s fair to believe that Josh Wardle owes me a portion of that 7-figure buyout, but I digress.
Beyond the publicity secured in this space, what makes Wordle so popular?
British psychologist Lee Chambers, who specializes in environmental and well-being coaching, told Insider that Wordle was so appealing because it stimulated both the language- and logic-processing areas of our brains. Like all games, it also leads to a release of dopamine, a hormone that allows us to feel pleasure and satisfaction.
Chambers believed the game's unique shareability was key to its online popularity.
"Constantly seeing the squares in our Twitter feed indicates that there is something to be solved, and others are on the case," Chambers said. "It pulls us into investigating it ourselves."
The aesthetics may play a part, too, Chambers explained, saying the colored blocks can be soothing as they "bring a comforting level of psychological order even when surrounded by chaos."
The game's functionality leads to a sense of connectedness. One of the key differentiators of Wordle is that players across the globe are all guessing the same word on the same day.
"The fact that we are all trying to solve the same puzzle brings us together, helping us feel like we are tackling a bigger problem together," Chambers said.
It created a wholesome distraction at the perfect time
Unlike lots of online games, Wordle can only be played once a day, so it has few of the pitfalls of being addictive that other online games can have. "It's a very smart product because people know that if they get hooked, they can't waste more than a few moments each day," Landau-Pope said.
Timing may have also been key to Wordle's success, Chambers said. Because the Wordle puzzles are numbered with a daily counter, they can help anchor us to the day of the week, as our perception of time has been affected by pandemic restrictions and remote working, especially during the holiday period.
Grandmother saved from hostage ordeal in US after failing to text Wordle score
Wordle is saving lives!
When Denyse Holt failed to post her daily Wordle score, her daughter knew something must be wrong.
Hours later, a police SWAT team rescued the 80-year-old Chicago woman from a naked home intruder who had been holding her hostage with a pair of scissors.
Ms Holt's eldest daughter Meredith Holt-Caldwell, who lives in Seattle, first twigged that something was amiss when her mother did not send her daily Wordle score.
Ms Holt said the missing score was "disconcerting" to her daughter, who knew her mother never missed this part of their daily routine.
After her mother also failed to answer Ms Holt-Caldwell's text messages, she called the Chicago police. They conducted a wellbeing check on her mother on February 6, only to discover she was being held hostage in her own home.
All’s well that ends well. An hours-long standoff between police and Ms Holt’s captor ensued. SWAT officers eventually used a stun gun to incapacitate him and rescue Ms Holt.
I Lost My Mom to QAnon. Wordle Is Bringing Her Back.
Josephine had almost given up trying to help her mother leave the QAnon cult. Then she discovered Wordle.
This is a classic Vice headline!
Josephine had almost given up trying to stop her 72-year-old mom, Veronica, from spending her days consuming the wild QAnon conspiracy theories she first began reading about in 2019.
Nothing Josephine tried—not patiently listening to her conspiracies, not angrily arguing with her mother about basic facts—had worked. If anything, it made things worse.
Then Josephine discovered Wordle and told her mom about it.
“I introduced my mom to Wordle recently, almost against her will as she was far too busy watching conspiracy videos and chatting on Telegram,” Josephine wrote on a QAnon help board on Reddit earlier this week. “Now she spends as much as 2 to 3 hours per day playing bootleg Wordle on another site that lets you play as much as you like. I’m not even joking.”
And Veronica's new addiction to Wordle has even improved her relationship with her daughter.
“She has to discuss Wordle issues with me multiple times per day, which has made her more social and less isolated,” Josephine wrote. “She’s always texting me to brag on a score or express frustration. Sometimes she asks me to help her when she’s stuck.”
The story is a rare positive one from the world of QAnon, as Veronica is now spending less time consuming dangerous conspiracy content and Josephine is spending more quality time with her mother.
That’s nice.
Housing supply is critically low
The American housing market has record-high demand and record-low supply. If you want to know why prices are 20% higher than they were a year ago this is the simplest explanation. Don’t believe me? Here’s two charts:
So what does this mean for you?
If you don't yet own a home, you should move quickly. Between demand, rising interest rates, and record-low inventory, it's never been more important to be prepared when the right deal comes along.
Take the first step and get pre-approved today. Schedule a free call with Micah right here or get started now at micahwiener.com.
Micah Recommends
The Logan Lewis Monthly Newsletter
How about another newsletter? Check out the newest venture from my friend Logan Lewis. Subscribe here.
The TikTok Green Goddess Salad
I made this salad yesterday for a Super Bowl party. It was good. Worked as a dip with Fritos Scoops as well as a nice side to a hot dog. It’s a winner.
The Retail Therapy Podcast
Will deFries and Barrett Dudley have launched a new twice-monthly podcast talking about fashion, fits, and other stuff. You’ll enjoy it. Click above or subscribe to the Sunday Scaries podcast to listen.
New Yorker Cartoon of the Week
Recipe Corner
Boulevardiers for a Crowd
Here’s a super easy and sophisticated cocktail for a party (or just you and your loved one tonight).
12 ounces rye or bourbon
8 ounces Campari
8 ounces sweet vermouth
8 ounces water
Orange twists
Combine rye, Campari, vermouth, and water in a serving pitcher or large container. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
Stir cocktail to recombine, then serve in chilled cocktail glasses, garnishing individual portions with orange twist. (Big-Batch Boulevardiers may be refrigerated for up to 1 month.)
Roasted Feta With Grapes and Olives
Here’s a showstopping starter for a party or tonight’s romantic dinner. It’s our fifth baked feta recipe in the past year. 1, 2, 3, and 4 were all big crowd-pleasers.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) seedless red grapes
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) pitted and halved Kalamata olives
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
8 to 10 ounces feta cheese (in a block)
Good, crusty bread slices, for serving
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with the rack in the middle. Oil a small, ovenproof casserole dish or cast-iron pan. Add the grapes, olives, 1 tablespoon olive oil, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and a few grinds of black pepper, and stir to combine.
Break the block of feta into four irregular pieces, then nestle them among the grapes and olives. Drizzle with more olive oil, then bake, 20 to 25 minutes, until the grapes are softened and the feta is browned in spots.
Serve right away with crusty bread.
Napa Cabbage Wedge With Sesame Ranch
There’s only one thing in this world I refuse to eat: blue cheese. But, I love a wedge salad. This looks incredible.
6 oz. bacon slices
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. white or yellow miso
1 Tbsp. tahini
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 small head of Napa cabbage
Thinly sliced chives, mild red pepper flakes (such as Urfa biber or Aleppo-style; optional), and toasted sesame seeds (for serving)
Cook bacon in a single layer in a large skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned and crisp, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and let cool.
Meanwhile, purée olive oil, vinegar, miso, tahini, onion powder, soy sauce, sesame oil, and 2 Tbsp. water in a blender until smooth; season with salt and pepper.
Trim top and bottom from cabbage and slice center portion into 1½"-thick rounds. Spoon 1–2 Tbsp. dressing onto each plate and top each with a cabbage round. Season cabbage lightly with salt. Drizzle 1–2 Tbsp. dressing over each and work it into the layers with the spoon. Drizzle any remaining dressing over.
Tear bacon into large pieces and scatter over cabbage. Top with chives, mild red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds as desired.
Backyard Citrus Upside-Down Cake
Take advantage of peak citrus szn.
Upside-down layer:
1 stick (113g) unsalted butter
½ cup (100g) plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large unwaxed lemons, ends trimmed, then halved, seeded, and sliced ⅛ inch thick
Cake:
2½ cups (313g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 cup (236ml) olive oil
1 cup (227g) full-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 cup (200g) sugar
Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
Start by making the upside-down layer:
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove the pan from the heat and add ½ cup of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Whisk the mixture until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is glossy and thickened a little. Pour the melted butter and sugar into the prepared cake pan and smooth into an even layer to cover the bottom. Place the cake pan in the freezer until the butter and sugar layer freezes; leave the pan in the freezer until you are ready to transfer the batter to the pan.
In a small bowl, gently toss the lemon slices with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Leave the lemon slices in the sugar to macerate for 10 minutes.
While the upside-down layer freezes, make the cake batter:
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Set aside. Combine the eggs with the olive oil in another large bowl and beat vigorously with a whisk until well combined. Add the yogurt and sugar. Make a well in the flour mixture and add the wet mixture in three additions, folding in each addition until no dry bits of flour remain. Set aside.
Fan the lemon slices out to cover the melted butter and sugar in the cake pan, overlapping the slices by as much as 1⁄8 inch. Pour the cake batter directly on top of the lemon slices.
Bake for about 1 hour, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate and carefully remove the parchment-paper lining. Allow the cake to cool for 1 hour more before serving.
Note: This cake can be made with nearly any citrus. The only citrus I would not use is raw grapefruit, oro blanco, or lime. The rinds of grapefruit and oro blanco are much thicker than lemons and oranges and they will take longer to bake. Lime and grapefruit also retain too much of the bitter quinine flavor and will make for an odd-tasting cake
Did Micah practice yoga this week?
Yes. 60 minutes at Fareground with Jessica. That’s 5/6 for the year.
Namaste.
More Micah
Podcasts: Mind of Micah, Back Door Cover, Too Much Dip
Twitter: @micahwiener & @producermicah (Why two twitters? It’s a long story)
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NMLS #2090158, equal housing lender.
Your yoga skills are impressive!