Why Do Eyes Change Color With Mood?
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A classic cartoon depiction of mood change often includes a change of eye color. But in the real world, eyes do not typically change color with a change of mood. The color of the eye is set by the amount of a pigment called melanin. The amount of this pigment in the iris of the eye can be the difference between brown, blue, green, and anything in between. Eye color could change theoretically if something happened that damaged the production process of the melanin or the enzyme that controls it. In newborns, eyes are typically blue because they haven't started producing melanin yet. But most of us cannot change our eye color.
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It might seem as though eye color changes with increased blood flow in the face, such as after exercise. In the same way that the face can turn red in this instance, the eyes could be affected by increased blood flow as well. This might add a red tint to the eye color, which might darken browns or cause green to seem hazel.
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In most cases, however, it is simply the ambient light that causes the eyes to seem as if they are changing colors. Light reflects off of the iris, causing it to seem as though it is changing colors, when in fact the color bands in the light are making them seem to change. Also, under certain circumstances such as stress, the pupil shrinks and allows more of the iris to be exposed, and thus be reflected in the light. This apparent change in color seems to be linked to the mood of the person, even though the actual eye did not change colors.
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