Is our moon to blame for this crazy world?
LUNAR-TICS
The idea of someone being “moonstruck”—driven insane by the influence of the moon—dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. In fact, the word “lunatic” derives from Luna, the Roman goddess of the moon. The Greek physician Hippocrates (460–370 B.C.) observed the moon’s effect on the tides, and concluded that the moon must exert some influence over the brain’s “moistness” and cause madness. This belief persisted through the Middle Ages: People refused to sleep where moonbeams might strike them, and werewolves were said to wreak havoc during the full moon.
To this day, it is a common belief that weird things happen when the moon is full, a phenomenon sometimes called “the Transylvanian effect.” Police officers and emergency room workers attest that crime, accidents, and suicides all increase on full moons. Nevertheless, rigorous statistical analysis has shown that there is little correlation between human behavior and the phases of the moon. More than 35 major studies have been conducted on lunar cycle influence. The findings: There are no significant increases in ER visits, births, or crime.
Still, it will probably take more than statistics to convince people that the moon doesn’t effect us in some way. As Hippocrates noted, the moon’s gravitational force affects the tides, and the human body is composed largely of water. And there is evidence of lunar influence in the length of menstrual cycles and the circadian rhythms that govern sleep.
But Michael Shermer, editor of Skeptic magazine, has this simple explanation for why we think full moons cause weirdness. “We don’t remember the unusual things that happen on all the other times, because we’re not looking for them.” Or perhaps a brightly lit night is simply conducive to mischief.
Almost 90% of Americans label themselves as shy. Who says? The California Shyness Clinic.