The full moon has been linked to crime, suicide, mental illness, disasters, accidents,  birthrates, fertility, and werewolves, among other things. Some people even buy and sell stocks according to phases of the moon, a method probably as successful as many others. Numerous studies have tried to find lunar effects.

So far, the studies have failed to establish anything of interest, except that the idea of the full moon definitely sends some lunatics (after luna, the Latin word for moon) over the edge. (Lunar effects that have been found have little or nothing to do with human behavior, e.g., the discovery of a slight effect of the moon on global temperature, which in turn might have an effect on the growth of plants.

Ivan Kelly, James Rotton and Roger Culver examined over 100 studies on lunar effects and concluded that the studies have failed to show a reliable and significant correlation (i.e., one not likely due to chance) between the full moon, or any other phase of the moon, and each of the following:

-the homicide rate
-traffic accidents
-crisis calls to police or fire stations
-domestic violence
-births of babies
-suicide
-major disasters
-casino payout rates
-assassinations
-kidnappings
-aggression by professional hockey players
-violence in prisons
-psychiatric admissions
-agitated behavior by nursing home residents
-assaults
-gunshot wounds
-stabbings
-emergency room admissions
-behavioral outbursts of psychologically challenged
-rural adults
-lycanthropy
-vampirism
-alcoholism
-sleep walking
-epilepsy

©Robert T. Carroll

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"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is.".............
Dan Quayle

[This message has been edited by Pinhead (edited 10-23-2000).]

It's not scientific, it doesn't make sense and it's illogical. I grant you that. Nonetheless, it exists. I've no idea whether the moon causes an actual physical effect on humans, or if those whose predeliction runs to violence and kookiness read these things and feel they have to live up to the hype by acting as expected at those times.

Another 'scientific' paper years ago stated that since the moon's gravitational influence certainly plays a significant role in ocean tidal activity, it may well do the same with the fluid content in human bodies. What effect that may have, who knows?

Does the moon's distance from earth decrease during the full phase? Certainly it's orbit has an apogee and a perigee, but is that orbital ellipse tied to the moon's light phases?

I don't know, I just know what occurred vis-a-vis human activity furing the moon's full phase. It is definitely when all the weirdos do their thing.

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Gunslinger
'Never teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.'