“Must be a full moon tonight” is a common saying when confronted with a person doing something strange or out of the ordinary. Even the word “lunacy” is derived from the Latin luna which means moon. Is there any proof to this superstition though? And does the moon really have a great affect on the behavioral patterns of life on Earth?
The moon’s effect on water was the earliest believed reason for behavioral changes in humans. It was thought that because humans are about 80% water the moon had some effect on our bodies that caused abnormalities. This theory was debunked when scientists proved that the moon only affected open bodies of water like oceans or lakes and not say, a glass of water sitting on the coffee table. (scientificamerican.com)
Since then, some studies have still tried to prove that the full moon does affect humans, but most theories have not held up upon further investigation. For example, one study attempted to show a correlation that traffic accidents were more likely to occur on full moon nights. This study is merely observational, not experimental, but it does show some type of correlation. When further investigated however, it was found in the period that was studied, full moons occurred on weekends, when more people drive. This is a good example of critical science and how it’s good to look closely at scientific findings instead of taking them at face value, because sometimes it is the third, confounding Z factor that makes a difference. (scientificamerican.com)
There is also something to be said about the psychology behind strange happenings on a full moon. Most people are aware or at least have heard of the superstition, so when something odd occurs, they are more likely to take notice of it because they know there is a full moon. This is an interesting notion because it introduces the possibility of reverse causation. It could be that because people are aware of the full moon superstition, they unconsciously, or consciously, act out of the ordinary.
Either way, there is no scientific or biological evidence that this claim has any truth, but so far it does not appear there has been any concrete experiments done.
My mom has always said this, and recently I’ve began to notice the truth in it; however, I may just be connecting the two because I want to believe it. That’s really interesting that studies have shown that there’s no relation between the two.
This is something commonly said in my family, and it’s never really occurred to me to check up on it, but it definitely seemed to be true to me for most my life. But I think that it had less to do with the actual moon and more to do with the fact that when someone did something unusual around me, and it was a full moon, I connect the two and reaffirm this old saying.