Moonstruck... or not?

  Most of us have at least heard of strange superstitions.  You may know someone who will not walk under a ladder or step on a crack.  I even wrap mirrors in blankets partly to protect against the seven years of bad luck a broken one can bring.  Some superstitions do seem a bit silly.  Others are so engraved in our heritage that they are believed to be true.

  The superstitions surrounding the moon and human behavior have made just as many believers as there are skeptics.  Numerous studies have been done to show evidence that the moon can alter our moods.  Author John Townley wrote about such a study conducted by the University of Miami psychologist Arnold Lieber and his colleagues.  They wanted to test the superstition of full moon lunacy.  So they collected homicide data in Dade County (Miami) over a period of 15 years.  They found that when the full or the new moon approached, the murder rate rose sharply.  When the first and last quarter moon approached, the rate declined.  This occurred in all 15 years.

  John Townley also wrote, “To find out whether this was just a statistical fluke, the researchers repeated the experiment using murder data from Cuyahoga County in Ohio (Cleveland). Again, the statistics showed that more murders do indeed occur at the full and new moons.”

  With evidence such as this, one would seem that the moon most defiantly has an influence over our behavior.  But some skeptics say that these “evidence” are just coincidental. 

  “…over 100 studies on lunar effects and concluded that the studies have failed to show a reliable and significant correlation…”  The Skeptical Dictionary sites on a review written by Ivan Kelly, James Rotton and Roger Culver (1996).  In the review, “The Moon was Full and Nothing Happened: A Review of Studies on the Moon and Human Behavior and Human Belief,” the authors also state that full moon lunacy and other lunar beliefs are encouraged by the media, folklore and tradition.  They say there are many misconceptions and cognitive biases towards these superstitions.  Another important factor that Kelly, Rotten and Culver say is causing us to believe such a superstition is communal reinforcement.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communal_reinforcement

  Whether or not you believe in the powers of the moon is your prerogative.  It is a belief that is older than most of the religions practiced today.  The truth is that we don’t have enough evidence to support or deny its validity. 

  Tonight is a full moon.  There’s not fun in debating the facts of full moon lunacy.  I suggest we spend the night taking pictures and admiring the moon’s beauty.

Here is some information in support of and against the effect of the moon on human behavior:

http://www.innerself.com/Astrology/full_moon.htm

http://skepdic.com/fullmoon.html