It’s been said that a full moon causes all sorts of mayhem on Earth – increased murders, suicides, mental breakdowns, accidents and even dog bites. Some nurses claim that there are more emergency room admittances during a full moon. You may have even noticed this effect yourself – people acting “different” or “strange” when the full moon is out.
This phenomenon is known as the “Lunar Effect.” For centuries, people have perceived an increased number of abnormal occurrences and behaviors during a full moon. The terms “lunacy” and “lunatic” are actually derived from the name of the Roman moon goddess, Luna.
But is there any truth to this perception? There is an excellent breakdown of full moon crime / suicide / psychosis / accidents / animal bites / hospital admission statistics here:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/moon.html And I hate to be the one to burst your magical lunar bubble, but studies appear to show that there is no relationship between abnormal behavior and a full moon.
Why, then, do some people still believe in the Lunar Effect? Possibly because of selective memory, a form of “confirmation bias,” in which we notice strange events that DO occur during a full moon, but we forget about all the normal, mundane ones. That is, we tend to notice and look for things that confirm our preconceived beliefs, and to ignore things that contradict them.
However, you’ll be very relieved to know that this does NOT mean I’ll stop glancing at the sky and whispering mysteriously, “Must be a full moon,” when something weird happens.
By Emily Kingston
References used:
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/090925-full-moon-myths.html
http://www.skepdic.com/confirmbias.html
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200502/full-moon-crazy