Mood rings are jewelry pieces that change colors in response to shifts in body temperature. The thermochromic liquid crystals inside mood rings cause them to turn different hues purportedly based on the wearer’s mood or emotions. When a mood ring changes colors, it indicates fluctuations in the temperature of the skin touching the ring. However, despite popular belief, mood rings do not actually detect emotions. The color changes reflect physiological responses in the body, providing limited insight into a person’s mood or mental state.
How Mood Rings Work
Mood rings contain thermochromic liquid crystals – materials that change color based on temperature. The crystals are sealed in a clear quartz glass shell along with the silver, gold, or other metal that forms the ring band. The crystals alter their molecular structure when exposed to heat, resulting in visible color variations. At lower temperatures, the crystals reflect shorter wavelengths of light that appear as blue or purple hues. As the temperature rises, the crystals reflect longer wavelengths that shift the color towards red, orange, yellow, and green tones.
Mood rings are designed to measure subtle skin temperature fluctuations. At the typical resting skin temperature of 82°F (28°C), mood rings will show up as a neutral green or yellow color. When placed against the finger, the metal band conducts body heat to the thermochromic crystals inside. This alters their temperature and causes the mood ring to change hues. Colder skin temperatures lead to blue or purple colors, while warmer temperatures result in yellow, orange, or red tones.
What the Colors Supposedly Mean
While mood ring retailers promote color meanings linked to emotions, the colors actually reflect small shifts in skin temperature. Here is an overview of the commonly advertised mood ring color meanings:
- Blue or Purple – Calm, relaxed
- Green or Yellow – Neutral, normal
- Yellow-Orange – Happy, passionate
- Red – Excited, energetic
- Brown or Gray – Nervous, stressed
- Black – Too hot to measure mood
However, these interpretations are not backed by scientific research. Skin temperature changes for many reasons unrelated to mood, including ambient temperature, physical activity, blood pressure changes, and certain medical conditions. While mood can potentially influence skin temperature, the color variations in mood rings offer little insight into the wearer’s actual emotional state.
Why Mood Ring Color Changes Occur
There are several reasons why a mood ring may shift to different colors, most related to fluctuations in skin temperature:
- Ambient Temperature – Cooler air temperatures will make the ring turn bluer or more purple. Warmer ambient temperatures cause the ring to become more yellow, orange, or red.
- Physical Activity – Exercise elevates skin temperature, turning the ring more red or orange. Resting after activity makes the skin cooler, shifting colors back towards blue and purple.
- Circulation Changes – Blood flow increases to the skin when warm, relaxed, or excited, warming the ring to yellow, orange, or red hues. Reduced circulation during stress constricts blood vessels, cooling the skin and ring to blues and purples.
- Medical Conditions – Fevers, hot flashes, hypothyroidism, and other conditions that affect body temperature regulation can alter mood ring colors.
- Loose Ring – If the ring is too large, it may not have sufficient contact with the skin to measure accurate changes in temperature.
While mood rings respond to skin temperature shifts from many sources, they do not actually detect your inner emotional state, mood, or feelings.
Limitations of Mood Rings
Mood rings have several limitations that prevent them from accurately gauging emotions:
- The color meanings are not scientifically validated, but rather based on marketing claims.
- Skin temperature changes for many reasons besides mood.
- The body has complex physiological responses that cannot be measured by a simple color change.
- People express emotions differently, so there are no universal color associations with moods.
- Environmental temperatures and other external factors can alter the ring’s color.
While mood ring retailers assign emotion meanings to the colors, there is no credible research that skin temperature correlates strongly with mood. The body has multifaceted reactions to stimuli that cannot be reduced to simple color changes. Overall, the mood ring colors offer minimal insight into the wearer’s disposition.
How to Get Accurate Mood Ring Readings
Despite their limitations, you can take some steps to get better mood ring readings:
- Wear the ring on a finger with consistent temperature – try the pinky or ring finger.
- Make sure the ring fits snugly so it can properly measure skin temperature.
- Give the ring 15-20 minutes to acclimate to your body temperature when first putting it on.
- Clean oils and dirt from the ring regularly so it gets an accurate touch with your skin.
- Take the ring off during exercise, bathing, and other activities with drastic temperature swings.
- Be aware that ambient temperature changes will alter the color.
While mood rings have entertained people for decades, look at their changing colors as a novelty rather than an accurate reflection of your inner emotional state. Enjoy them for their aesthetic beauty rather than relying on them as a mood predictor.
Conclusion
In summary, mood ring color changes reflect subtle shifts in skin temperature, not actual emotions. While retailers advertise color meanings based on moods, the rings are not scientifically capable of measuring your inner feelings. Body temperature fluctuations from many sources like weather, activity, circulation changes, and medical conditions can all alter a mood ring’s colors. So while the rings are a fun decorative accessory, they provide minimal insight into true emotional states. Look to mood rings for amusement, but do not depend on their colors alone to understand your shifting moods and disposition.
