Many believe that the different stages of the moon’s cycle can notably impact several aspects of human life. These can include increased levels of blood loss, heightened aggression and violence, shifts in reproductive behavior, and changes in bodily functions. It seems apparent that the full Moon does indeed have a discernible effect on human behavior.
This period lasts 29.5 days.
Something is curious: the terms lunacy or lunatic comes from the word luna, the Latin name for the Moon.
The legend of the Full Moon’s effects on human behavior has existed for centuries and has been popularized by the werewolf myth. People often attribute intermittent insanity to the phases of the Moon, but the truth is that we do not have much proof about whether this is real or not. The effects of the Full Moon on human behaviors are some things that still need to be studied.
Even if so many people notice the full Moon when weird things happen. It makes them wonder whether the Moon had something to do with what happened. At other times, no one considers whether the Moon has anything to do with behavior.
In our world of street lights and headlamps and blinding motion sensors, we no longer rely on the Moon, even if, for centuries, it was so crucial for humans. We must admit that often, we don’t even remember that it’s up there.
These days, a few studies have linked human health and behavior with the full Moon. For example, lions are less likely to hunt under a full moon. But as that Moon wanes and the evenings darken, these hungrier lions might encounter not just their traditional prey but people still out in the open. An entry in the Journal of Criminal Psychology looked at incidences of crime during different lunar phases and found that incidences of homicides and aggravated assaults spiked massively during a full moon.
An entry in the Journal of Criminal Psychology examined crime incidences during different lunar phases and found that homicides and aggravated assaults spiked massively during a full moon. This is proof that the effects of the full Moon on human behavior are accurate.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle and Roman historian Pliny, the Elder, theorized that the Moon would have a tide-like effect on us because the human brain was primarily made up of water. Since then, several studies, including some published in the Psychological Bulletin and Journal of Affective Disorders and research from UCLA and Colorado State University, have shown that this is untrue.
The effects of the Full Moon on human behavior are that the Moon’s gravitational pull is far too weak to affect brain activity. Also, the tide effect only works on open bodies of water, not enclosed systems like our brains. You’ve probably heard that the Moon affects the sea and tides and the old wives’ tale that our periods sync with the Moon. I also believe it is true because several studies say moon phases affect sleep quality. It says that we have less deep slow-wave sleep and lower evening melatonin levels 0–4 days around the full Moon compared to the other moon phases.
Blessings,
High-Priestess Doris