Does a full moon actually affect people’s behavior?
- Asks Sue from Long Island, N.Y.
Andrew Grant • March 31, 2008
![Is the moon making us crazy? [Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiousis/2769127516/">Stelios Kiousis</a>.]](http://www.scienceline.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/MoonFromGreece.jpg)
Is the moon making us crazy? [Credit: Stelios Kiousis.]
I admit that New Yorkers are not known for their superior driving ability, but on this one night the drivers seemed especially erratic. People kept cutting me off. One guy sped right through a red light, barely missing a collision with the crossing traffic. And some genius, perhaps British but probably not, forgot that in this country we drive on the right side of the road.
I thought about what made this night particularly favorable for lunatic drivers compared to any other. It wasn’t St. Patrick’s Day, New Year’s or very late at night, so drunk driving didn’t seem to fit. Only when I got out of my car and looked up did I conceive a possible explanation: the full moon.
The legend of the full moon’s effects on human behavior has existed for centuries, popularized by the myth of the werewolf. The words “lunacy” and “lunatic” are derived from the same Latin root that gives us the word “lunar,” as people often attributed intermittent insanity to the phases of the moon. While many people believe the full moon influences behavior, scientific studies have found very little evidence supporting the “Lunar Effect.”
In 1978, University of Miami psychologist Arnold Lieber wrote the book The Lunar Effect: Biological Tides and Human Emotions. He argued that the moon influences day-to-day behavior and concluded that homicides increased during the full moon after analyzing Miami’s crime records. Similar crime studies during that same time period, however, found no such relationship.
Then, in 1986, researchers from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada combined the results of about 100 studies and found “no causal relationship between lunar phenomena and human behavior.” They discovered statistical flaws in many of the papers that claimed to find such a link. They even reanalyzed Lieber’s homicide data and found no correlation.
More recently, numerous studies have been conducted by intrigued researchers, with most attempts to blame the moon for everything from suicides to vomiting after surgery coming up empty.
So with all this evidence to the contrary, what makes the full moon lunacy theory still so popular? Perhaps it’s the media, who know people are more likely to read a crime story if some police officer blames it on the moon. Or maybe people just want to hold onto an urban legend that’s been around for hundreds of years.
A more scientific answer may be selective memory. If some bizarre murder or car accident occurs, people are probably more likely to remember it if it happened during the night of a full moon.
After reading up on some studies — including one from the authority on this topic, the University of Saskatchewan — I’ve decided that the full moon was not responsible for my experience on the road that night. Perhaps I selectively forgot the thousands of other times I encountered lunatic motorists. Though I have no scientific evidence to prove it (just years of experience), I’m going with the theory that New Yorkers are just really bad drivers.
227 Comments
I was trying to think of an interesting project for this year’s science fair. My dad and I had just gotten out of our pool on a clear night with a full moon. Obviously, I’ve heard plenty of urban legends (like anyone else, I would think)and I asked him why people think it has magical effects on people. I was interested to find some info. on it. Your’s was the first thing I pulled up. I agree. It affects tides, not people!
Well, I think the full moon has an effect on people who are mentally and emotionally unstable. I’ve concluded (with no scientific research of course) that since the full moon affects the tides, and humans are mostly water, that it only makes sense that it affects us. I can say from experience that it does not affect the general population, yet it does have an effect on people who are less stable.. Working at a psychiatric hospital, I see this often.. Let me know what you think :)
I think the moon might affect certain people that might be emotianaly unbalance or unstable at a certain time of their life due. The moon might affect the endocrynological system or generate hormonal inbalances. But this is a personal hypothesis based on my own personal experience following moon cyles and my emotional state.
Nursey, you clearly don’t understand anything about how tides work. It isn’t the water that is affected – tides also occur in rock (at smaller level, because rock is much more viscous). The sun raises tides on earth, too, at about half the level that the moon does. The reason tides are higher at full (and new!) moon is that they are in phase with the sun’s tides, not because the moon is full.
Here’s the surprising thing – the moon is all there all the time, regardless of how much we can see of it – how much is illuminated by the sun.
I truly believe that it effects those that are bipolar. I have a son that is bipolar (he is 18 now) and I always know that he will be really bizaar when there is a full moon. He’s not homicidal…just does strange things. He is irrational too. Yes, he has mood swings a lot, but, they are very different during a full moon.
That’s my two cents.
Its called confirmation bias.
How come, on days of a full moon, most people I’m around are in a aggravated mood, having a bad day, or are just not quite themselves..? It is always that way on a night of a full moon, or in my opinion it is.
I have never noticed changes in people during a full moon. however that may have something to do with the fact that i dont pay that much attentions to others during a full moon. all i can say is i believe that the moon effects individual in different ways. what i mean is its all psycological.i cant say for everyone how people react at the occurence of a full moon. i can only state my own reactions to it.In the 17 years i have been alive i have noticed that when there is a full moon i seem to feel more at peace with life when i look up upon it. i always end up feeling calm or in a good mood, but this is during any phase of the moon. sure when its full its more beautiful and eye catching but thats all that is different then during any other time.i do however notice that when its a new moon or when i cant seem to locate it in the sky i become sad but why this is probably has nothing to do with the moon.this is just my opinion on the subject. i do not wish my statement to change the views of others and i do not think that it is something that can be scientifically proven. After all i am only 17 years old and still in high school. what do i know.
I believe in what most of you seem to believe in. Each person is affected differently by the moon. It may be the sun that affects the tides but then why wouldnt it affect us the same way. It doesnt have to be because the moon is full. but that the sun’s tides are inline. I think people get aggitated because of the superstitions but it does seem to affect people who are unbalanced such as the boy who is bipolar. whether it calms someone or makes them have a bad day….that is something isnt it. That is having an affect on that person’s life…no matter if they have a disease or not.
I believe that the moon has an affect on people who are aware of their connection to the energy of it. Those who don’t understand that connection, react negatively to it. Those who do understand it and are humbled by it, simply stare in awe of it as it supposedly creates havoc on those that are oblivious. This energy is and can be neither good nor bad, collectively. I think that the moon, in all of its power encompassing gravity, has an inspiring effect, not the opposite.
For the longest time I didn’t understand why some nights I just didn’t feel the need to sleep. I would sleep may an hour or two and awake refreshed and full of energy. Someone told me it was the full moon but I was very skeptical. The next time it happened I checked and it was on a full moon. I couldn’t believe it! I have a co-worker who experiences the same issues. I don’t feel homicidal or anything, I just have all this unexplained energy. As I have grown older I have noticed other things also such as strange stomach sensations and my heart rate changes on these nights. It’s strange but it only happens when there is a full moon. I’m not on any meds and I don’t even take vitamin supplements.
I believe that the moon has subtle affects on the human body. It’s silly to think that something that has such a strong effect on the tides–being that effect directed towards rock or otherwise–doesn’t also affect human beings.
I believe that small psychological behaviors sprout up during different phases of the moon. I believe that when we’re in the womb it’s possible that the location of the moon may have a small, unmeasurable constitution in the way we psychologically behave after birth–our innate natures, perhaps. Of course, this is just my hypothesis; you could do thousands of inconclusive studies going either way. That’s the beauty of having an opinion.
I’ve noticed from personal experience that I do things that are out of character on full moon nights. Usually, my moods are erratic and my day is always quite unusual. The funny thing is that I’ll be thinking this all day on a full moon night without even realizing the state of the lunar cycle.
This is definitely a fun speculation that has always fascinated me.
i hate you
I used to be a nurse and worked nights. When there was a full moon the patients would be really wrestless and not be able to sleep. I do believe that the full moon does affect peoples psyche.
I am not sure if it was all Native American tribes . . .but the women of the tribes had a place called the “Moon Lodge”. It was where they went during their time of menses. Why do you suppose they called it a moon lodge?
Repond to “Puzzled”.
Its weird that you mention cant sleeping during a full moon. I use to notice it too that some nights I cant sleep well. So when I was around 25yrs old, it just suddenly hit that on the nights I cant sleep, I always see the moon. I told my husband about the weird coincidence and he thought I was crazy. It would go on & on each month and on a FULL moon I could never sleep well. So at about 30 yrs old, I decided to do some research on the internet. I was surprised to find out that a lot of people also have the same experiences then I did not feel alone.
I personally believe there is some truth to the myth that the full moon effects people’s moods and behavior. I have experienced this myself. I always know when there is a full moon even without knowing it by a calendar. I have so much energy and can’t seem to quit talking and laughing and my sexual interest is greatly intensified as well as other sexual bodily functions. My family thinks I am crazy, but I know what I feel. My husband is beginning to believe me after some years of marriage. I have a grandbaby due on the 3rd of this month and I have my bet that it is born on the full moon which is the 4th. We’ll have to wait and see!
My daughter is very intuitive. She seems to sense things before it happens. She has been like this since she was little and is now 45. On a full moon when she leaves a store, the door alarms go off. She says she feels a magnetism on the full moon days.
Well, i have a different take on this subject. Statistically it has no affects. However, i believe its more of a mental issue. If a person bellieves something will affect them chances are it will. They will find a common ground just vaugue enough for they’re theory, of believeing the moon has affects, to seem as reality. Almost as a horoscope.
I must say, all of you saying there’s no evidence have obviously never had an honest days work with the public under your belt. I’ve been a barber for a little over 3 years now, and I can absolutely say that the full moon 100% effects people.
I see 100’s of people each week in my profession, and while I do admit there are always a few odd ones in the bunch, I can tell when it’s a full moon without ever paying attention to the calendar or the cycle of the moon. Every. Single. Time.
On the days that it’s a full moon, my morning starts out with a few of our regular customers, but then all of a sudden we have strangers. And not just strangers, but STRANGE strangers. I live in a small town, so strangers are pretty rare in the first place when you know and remember just about every single one of your clients and know a lot of them by name. Full moon days bring in strange people, nomadic in nature. Behavior can include anything from alcoholic tremors, to retardation, to sexual perverts, to racists, anything you can think of. Most common in these full moon “lunatics” is also a lack of proper hygiene. I swear, these people must never touch water. Ever. When a lot of these strangers are coming in back to back, I smile to myself and think “full moon,” check the calendar, and I swear to god I’m never wrong. Well, one exception, New Moons can also stir up people’s heads a bit. Sometimes I can think it’s a full moon but it’ll be a new moon instead.
So yes, the moon is always there, but there’s something more to it. You can call it “bias confirmation” and I can call you a dumbass. I’ve had three years of case study and probably will have another 57 more on top of it (barber’s don’t retire until they die, sadly, and with this economy, yeah). This is assuming that some full moon lunatic doesn’t kill me before that time is up.
A few of my most extreme full moon examples: Last full moon we had, a woman put her head under her husbands cape (he was caped up for a haircut) and acted like she was giving him.. a good time. Also, one time, a man told me clowns were staring at us from outside. Clowns named “Trevor.” Obviously, there was nothing there. I hope.
– Oster
We live in daily cycles. The Moon phases are a part of Nature.
There are four major phases of the Moon. Look at your calender if the phases are listed. The New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Last Quarter
There are by nature two weeks of receiving energy called waxing. There are two weeks of energy releasing form our bodies called wanning. If you think of boiling water, it slowly gets hot until it reaches the boiling point. The boiling point gives rise to evaporation because water can not boil above a certain temperature. Your bodies boiling point is at the Full Moon phase.
Your body will not evaporate so the Moons energy stops producing that type of lunar energy. The body starts to release the energy until it reaches the New moon phase. By nature we are affected by the Moon. Spell the word Moon and remove the the last letter n and replace it with d. Yes you have Mood Changes.
The Moon is a very powerful force of nature don’t sleep on it.
DG
Spend some time in an elementary school classroom on a full moon day.
no doubts in my mind.
Okay, okay. We might not all believe about the effects on Full moon. But this is a real personal experince, that ONLY happens on full moon. I’ve recored it in a notebook, too. EVERY full moon, I cna’t fall asleep until sometime between 12 midnight and 2:30 AM. It’s never any other night just full moon. Who knows, maybe it’s just me or the full moon. Or just because I have the oh-so gifted 6th sense. I have no clue.
About once a month my husband becomes irrational, moody and argumentative. I’ve kept track of these occurances on my calendar for several years, and they all correspond to the full moon. I didn’t believe it at first myself. I haven’t told him about this (he wouldn’t believe me) so it can’t be due to ‘bias confirmation’. Seems to me now that there must be some grain of truth behind all the folklore.
I find it odd why main-stream science is desperately trying to disprove the notion that full moon influences people, while at the same time admitting there is “very little evidence”? So there is evidence?
P.S. Guess what, it’s full moon now :)
scientifically speaking i can not give evidence on how full moons effect the minds and behavior of normal or consider unstable..but from a teachers prospective, when i worked in the school system teachers were always saying, it must be a full moon because the classrooms were more disruptive and the children were much more “wired”…we (my 13 year old son and a group of his friends) had a new years eve party this year..and it was interrupted by a spirit just before midnight…full moon or even a blue moon at that, i don’t know but i had a house full of very scared children! i have also heard from policemen that crime and incidents occur more on a full moon…you can argue the criminal minds have behavioral issues but what about the students…and our incident? animals also act differently during a full moon…i do think there is too much that happens to discount the fact that full moons do effect many aspects of people and not just those who are challenged
oh and obgyns also say more women go into labor during full moons! there was a study done on a university dorm hall that was to detect the girls menstrual cycles..the study concluded that women just being in the same general facility of others eventually change their dates of their menstrual cycles…also that was common in the school…and my best friends..the more women i was around on a daily or regular basis…our cycles would end up being right there together…i don’t follow horoscopes but those are also based upon the moon under which your born..and even though i don’t follow horoscopes..the zodiac profiles are so in keen with personalities that when i was in high school i could meet a stranger and guess their birthdays within 7 days of the date of their birthdays…and this is just through common conversation…. i’m sorry but i think we are much too skeptical of the unexplained and just not open minded at the years what has become apart of legends…eventually i think if there wasn’t some truth about things…it would just disappear…i think that is one of the reason’s that mental illness and certain behaviors are often more effected than what we call stable or normal…because we find and look for reason to say this has happened we seem to need understand..and it there is no logic to what has happened …i don’t think we nor anyone really understands the dynamics that not only control our actions, thoughts and experiences but seriously we only use a very very small percentage of our brains and those who use a higher amount we can’t even phantom what type of things we’d be capable of doing or achieving
I used to work in a salon and it never failed that after a strange day with some of the clients at some point I would notice that there was a full moon. I was not looking for a full moon so I know my observation was not influenced by that knowledge. I’m not a scientist but as a regular joe I have noticed strange behavior with people and then saw that it had been a full moon. I also noticed that when my 11 year old daughter was a baby she seemed more restless on nights that it was a full moon. I began noticing this pattern when she was about 4 months old. The nights that she fussed the most were always the brightest due to a full moon. I was able to predict this behavior and adjust to it just by looking to see when the next full moon would be. Just my own observations. I think that there are things that happened during a full moon that I just can’t chalk up to something else.
really the full moon affects me badly when the full moon appears it makes me in a bad mood and expecting horrible problem and it does happen i don’t know what to do i started to wait the full moon and really afraid of the days
it seems overwhelming, lots of people are recording their anecdotal evidence here that a full moon effects alot of people. maybe not all, but alot! i definitely get alot of the same effects – more energy, less sleep, i get very fiery and talk a mile a minute to anyone who will listen. i’m sure people think i am a bit nutty sometimes – maybe i should wear a warning sign during a full moon!
I too am sceptical about the things I cannot understand or have not experienced, but I am beginning to think the full moon and effect on moods is too obvious to just brush away. I have experienced many of the above mentioned, less sleep, becoming emotional, moody, quiet, headache’s. Some sceptics or scientists would point this to just my character but I am of a normal, happy, outgoing nature. I have recently realised that these ‘out of character’ experiences only apply when there’s a full moon and I don’t see it is a full moon until after the event. It is only these past few months that I began connecting the two. One particular day I was in a quiet mood all day, I new it but just couldn’t change it, nothing had happened to provoke it. On speaking to friends that night, one male admitted he was in a terrible mood and for no good reason and a girlfriend said she had been a terrible b**** that night and didn’t know why, these people are normally easy going and I was surprised to hear this and yes there was a full moon. I know this is not scientific evidence or proof of anything, but we have to wonder at the power of nature, don’t we?
responding to comment number 2 by nursery, although our bodies are mostly water science has proven that the moon only affects open bodies of water and not water that is enclosed somehow.
The full moon definetly effects myself and
the people around me. I think the colder the
weather the worse the effects are from the
full moon. It starts about 2-3 days before the
full moon and lasts about 2-3 days after. I’ve
found myself not booking any real important
appointments around those days because of
the paterens in the past. Im not a superstitious
person either at all. My roomate just agreed
with me that we shouldn’t answer the phone if
his mom calls during the full because she
won’t admit to it but it effects her too. AVOID, AVOID,
AVOID! if anyone has any good suggestions
on what to do on the full moon for safe activities
get back to us hwgirl2010@gmail.com one
thing is for sure don’t do any crime at that time,
or go on a first date it’s worth it to wait…peace
out!
I am here to tell you first hand that it effects my husband profoundly… we had an ah ha moment about 2 yrs ago .. his behavior was completely off the charts … he gets irritable, hateful, can’t think properly, … it’s crazy. I asked him.. do you think it is because of the full moon? He looked up at me and we both sat there in silence… since that day, I’ve charted the full moon for every month . and I will remind him that one is coming so he can “brace” himself. We even have his boss keeping an eye on the Full Moon cycle. She can now see changes in him at work due to the full moon. I just had a huge fight with him today.. he is being such a mean spirited person and I called my sister to cry. She said to me, “is it a full moon”? I was like, HELL…. I forgot to chart all the full moons for 2010. And I’ll be damned if there isn’t one coming this Tuesday, March 30th. His behavior changes aren’t on the EXACT day of the full moon… it’s always a week before… so this happening today and yesterday makes perfect sense. I will back this up to my dying day, because I live with it. It is very hard for the person who has to take the negative energy that the other person throws off during this period each month.
Thanks!
I don’t know about scientific studies but six of my eight children were delivered during a full moon. In addition I can’t sleep worth a darn when the moon is in its last waxing stages. I’m also more emotional and subject to stress – more likely to lose my temper or respond confrontationally. As some of you have written maybe it’s the emotionally unstable who respond to the moon or maybe (just maybe) there’s something to it. I don’t have to see the moon to know it’s full. Maybe science can’t explain everything any more than religion. Just call me moonstruck.
The full moon affects us all, just in a different way. We seem to discount the fact that we dont truley dont know everything 100% about the moon, but then again there are alot of things we dont know everything about. All im saying is that the moon affects us all in a way that is never going to be explained, weather you believe it or not, there is something out there that is more powerful then all of us.
I believe the full moon does affect human/animal behavior. Just like the flutter of butterfly wings of the on the side of the world will cause an effect on to others the oposite side of the world.
I CAN’T SLEEP DURING FULL MOONS. Be closed minded if you want. This is what happens to me. If it doesn’t happen to you… good for you. This is just a question for people that share my problem- what was the phase of the moon when you were born? I just checked mine for November 4th 1979 and to my surprise- FULL MOON. Go to wolframalpha.com, type in your birthday and check the phase of the moon. If you can’t sleep during a full moon and your were born on one, let’s hear it.
I’ve believed in the full moon effects on behavior for 37 years. I worked in a Colorado hospital right out of high school, where we staffed an extra person in the ER and on the psych unit every full moon, because it was always busier. I’ve worked in the retail business for 17 years, and I could chart the NEW MOON and the FULL MOON phases without even looking it up, by the behavior of customers. I keep the “Phases of the Moon” chart on my homepage so that my staff and I can brace ourselves for the onslaught of cranky customers for 2 or 3 days before and during those times. It’s very consistent. We’ve charted it!
I definitely notice the subtle difference in my mood swings when there is a full moon. It struck me one night when I was feeling particularly mischievous a few years ago that it might be a full moon. I am an events promoter and ALWAYS avoid putting a night on a full moon if I want it to run relatively smoothly, bolts fall out of place where you least expect.
On top of that I feel PMS-y, irritated and stressed out during full moons. I also grow hair on my palms ;) Anyway, when the moon is full, its hard not to think that this great big thing in the sky wouldn’t have an effect on us.
I was with chap for 3.5yrs and at least once a month he always seemed to cause an argument,my mum jokingly said it was because there was a full moon so I sniggered back until low and behold the follow full moon he deliberately caused an argument. It was such an unbelievable pattern that I started setting an alarm on my mobile for the full moons and when he started I was already armed and ready for his on slaught,I ignored his comments etc and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get a rise out of me.
I would also like to agree with the comment regarding the full moon affecting people with mental health issuse. I used to work with folk with special needs/learning disablities and challenging behaviour and one of the RMHN’s told me that before the recidents of the domestic house I work in lived in and institutionalised setting of a hospital that without fail every full moon the people who were predisposed with challenging behaviour kicked off and became more agressive and physically abusive,those predisposed with say depression were more upset and less cooperative. They obviously had to document the patients behaviour and a pattern emerged…….every full moon!!
My son has had a cancerous brain tumor,has had surgery, radiation and chemotherapy to treat it, and a severe stroke and bleed out of the tumor. I can always tell when a full moon is coming as he hears more voices, does stranger things, gets agitated and very anger,loses ther ability to recall words for his speech,etc. He was diagnosed 19 years ago and as his dementia and brain deterioates, the full moon affects do also. There must be a colrolation.
I’m prone to depression, and around the times of full moons I feel much more down than usual. As well as this I often feel lethargic, unable to concentrate and am much more prone to forget or lose things.
Think and you will know……
For many years I never knew when there was a full moon, but Harbor View Hospital was always full. I always thought it was just an act and not real. I have moved across country and now I know it is real.
Many times now I feel very strange and dont realize its a full moon until I look. Saturday june 26 I think I would have blown my brains out if I owned a gun, but lucky for me I dont have one. Sunday I looked on the calendar and it said luna yena and I should have known.
I honestly think I could be locked up 3 floors below the basement with only food and no light and I could tell you exactly when the full moon is.
When my dad first left my mum, he warned me to stay in her good books when it was a full moon. I, of course, just laughed it off at first. But my God, I wish I had listened to him!! Most of the time my mum is a completely rational, calm and friendly women, but when it is a full moon she goes completely mad!! SHe turns into this irrational monster who flys of the handles about anything however small. Its got the stage where a couple of my friends have actually witnessed it and are generally scared of me being with her around that time, and they’re my male friends!I completely agree now that the full moon does affect people’s moods and wish more research could be done and show this to be true…then maybe some sort of cure could be found, as I don’t think I can take many more of my mother’s rages!haha. I don’t think people really understand/believe the whole “full moon effect” unless they have witnessed it for themselves. Come live in my house for a couple of months and you will be a true believer! Still gotta find it a amusing when once a month I will get a text from my dad “Its time. Try to stay out of her way or come to my house. Love Dad”!!
i look after my mother with dementia. every now and again her behaviour will get worse more confused cant sleep sees things mostly at night. i have now noticed there is a very real connection to the full moon and my mums behaviour. Anyone else noticed this!
I have to disagree. I believe a full moon does effect people, i think it just depends on how self aware you are. Everytime I have been outside during a full moon, i feel energized, a sort of charge. It’s hard to explain but i do, and it’s happened before I even realized it was a full moon. But it has become so familiar to me that when i feel it i instantly look up to see that it is in deed a full moon. There are probably more incidences of violence due to this because it’s sort of like an adrenaline rush.
I have discovered that if you stare into the moon, it will make you act stupid like me. I know because my dad told me.
I was staring into the moon and started singing twinkle twinkle little star.
So don’t stare into the moon, it can be dangerous.
It will make you act stupid if your on a date!!!
If you want to know if you will go really hyper or not hyper if you look at the moon then visit this site: http://www.wolframalpha.com
I definitely have difficulty sleeping when there is a full moon, waking in the middle of the night feeling fully rested after only a couple of hours sleep.
I went to wolframalpha.com after reading Mikey’s posting on April 3,2010, and the moon was in its “waning crescent moon” phase the day I was born. So much for that theory, at least in my case. Sure would like to know why, though.