Opinion
5 reasons why I’m an avid Apple Watch user
by Martin Jungfer
Why am I so obsessed with closing my rings?
15/4/2025
Translation: machine translated
Close rings?! Either you clicked because of the strange headline and found your way here. Or you're an Apple person, know the concept of activity rings and actually want to know why it works so well.
My life is pretty much completely Appleised. MacBook, MacMini, iPhone (of course!), even the overpriced HomePods - I have them all in my household. And on my wrist, of course, an Apple Watch. And the activity rings light up on its home screen.
There are three rings that you should ideally close within a day. This is possible if you stand for at least one minute per hour in 12 hours per day, if you consume at least 500 calories through exercise and if you complete at least 30 minutes of training. These values are the default. As an Apple user, you can also define more ambitious or more modest goals for yourself.
Apple's Marketing department has just come up with the «Global Close Your Ring Day». A good time to think about why this concept is so successful for me and so many other people.
Tens of millions of people have already joined the Close-your-Rings community. Virtually everyone who has bought an Apple Watch has their rings in view. A watch to tell the time? Pff. The smart Apple Watch is not satisfied with such trivialities.
But why does it actually work? Why do I often get up from my desk at 2.55 p.m. to collect an hour of standing time after all? Why do my office colleagues - hello, Eva! - tell me that they do a few squats in the living room late at night when there are still three minutes of training left?
From dopamine and «Streaks»
Success is the result of a combination of many psychological factors. Closing the rings makes us realise that we have achieved a goal. The result: the happiness hormone dopamine is released. The effect is intensified by the animation on the home screen - there are sparks.
The Apple Watch also tells me how many days in a row I have already closed rings. Maintaining a «Streak» like this and extending it further and further is hugely motivating. The longer a streak lasts, the greater the fear of losing it. Psychologists speak of loss aversion. On the other hand, the goal of extending a «streak» further and further ensures that habits are formed.
And then there is gamification. Apple is no Duolingo - the language learning app has taken the principle to the extreme. Nevertheless, it feels like a game to chase after a missing award or to get the first one for a Pilates session. The effect is even stronger when you share and compare your ring progress with others. Humans can't get out of their skin - the desire to be better than average drives us to be more active.
Healthier thanks to closed rings
If you knew these mechanisms, it would be easier for you - from a purely rational point of view - not to close an open ring. After all, it's only a few pixels. On the other hand, what's wrong with closing it? You will move a little more than without this nudge.
Apple has been collecting data from Apple Watch users for ten years. This data has been analysed in various studies. Unsurprisingly, the pattern emerges: people who regularly close their rings sleep better, have less stress and a healthier heart.
As an Apple Watch user, I add: the activity rings make it clear whether I am achieving my exercise goals. This really motivates me and provides transparency. And it's up to me to achieve the goal. Somehow reassuring in a world that can feel quite chaotic on some days.
How important are the Apple Rings to you? Tell us in a comment about your «Streak».
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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