DO MOOD RINGS WORK?

ancient mood ring

DO MOOD RINGS WORK?

A mood ring is a ring that contains a thermochromic element, such as liquid crystal. The ring changes color depending on the body temperature of its wearer. Some proponent said that color indicate the emotional state of the wearer. The mood ring was invented in 1975 by two New York inventors, Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats, who bonded liquid crystals with quartz stones set into rings. They initially retailed for $45 for a "silvery setting" and $250 for gold, and first sold at Bonwit Teller, rapidly becoming a fad in the 1970s.

unisex mood rings

Mood rings can't tell your emotional state with any degree of accuracy, but the crystals were calibrated with have a pleasing blue or green color at the average person's normal resting peripheral temperature of 82°F (28°C). As peripheral body temperature increases, which it does in response to passion and happiness, the crystals twist to reflect blue. When you are excited or stressed, blood flow is directed away from the skin and more toward the internal organs, cooling the fingers, causing the crystals to twist the other direction, to reflect more yellow. In cold weather, or if the ring was damaged, the stone would be dark gray or black and unresponsive. 

What the Mood Ring Colors Mean

modern mood ring

The top of the list is the warmest temperature, at violet, moving to the coolest temperature, at black.

violet blue - happy, romantic

blue - calm, relaxed

green - average, not much going on with you

yellow/amber - tense, excited

brown/gray - nervous, anxious

black - cold temperature or damaged ring

Mood rings were a short-lived fad of the mid-1970s (like the pet rock) and were especially popular with young girls. In a 1976 Peanuts comic strip, Peppermint Patty gets so angry at Charlie Brown that her mood ring explodes. Mood rings also feature on the Tales of the City books of Armistead Maupin. In recent years mood rings have made a comeback.

If you take a moment to think about the moods represented by the colors, you'll see a definite correlation between your body's surface temperature and the color of the liquid crystal. When you are in a passionate mood, your skin is usually flushed. This is a physical reaction to an emotion, causing the capillaries to move closer to the surface of the skin and release heat. This brings about a slight change in the surface temperature of your body. When you are nervous or stressed, your skin may feel clammy. This physical reaction to your emotional state causes the capillaries to move deeper into your skin, causing the surface temperature to drop.