What Is the Lunar Effect?

"Lunar effect" refers to the actual or fictional correlation between a particular phase of the lunar cycle of approximately 29.5 days and the behavior and physiological changes of living things on Earth, including humans. In some cases, the so-called effect may depend on external factors, such as the amount of moonlight. In other cases, such as human (but not other mammalian) menstrual cycles, about once a month, the coincidence of time reflects the unknown lunar influence.

This belief was found in ancient Assyrian / Babylonian writing.

Here are a few overviews that may be related to the effects of the moon:

Lunar effect tide

Believers in lunar theory have proposed several different mechanisms that the behavior of the moon may affect human behavior. A common suggestion is that because the moon affects large bodies of water such as the ocean (a type called tidal force), the moon should be expected to have a similar effect on humans, and their bodies contain a large amount of water. However, this is a misunderstanding and does not take into account differences in scale. Tidal forces are actually weak, and one should not expect more gravitational pull than mosquitoes. Beyond that, the "suggestions" have not explained the tidal dependence of the moon phase and time. ^[9]

Believers (David Tredinnick is a prominent example) often support their claims, noting that many police, teachers, and nurses have observed the moon's effects at work. Where nurses and police officers do claim compliance, this is most likely explained by the example of confirmation bias: people notice what dramatic things happen at the full moon, but don't pay attention to what doesn't happen dramatically; In addition, dramatic events that did not occur during the full moon are generally not considered evidence of resistance to this belief. Believers further strengthen their beliefs through community strengthening: The more people talk about the effects, the more people pay attention to false relationships.

Lunar Effect Evolution

It is widely believed that nocturnal carnivores have played an important role in human evolution, driving the need for nocturnal shelters, controlling fires and natural dark fears. We conducted an extensive analysis of the predatory behavior throughout the lunar cycle, and conducted a large-scale combination on the largest lion attack dataset. Or below the horizon.

Lunar effect positive ion

Another suggestion is that during the full moon, the abundance of positive ions will increase, which should affect human behavior. But this is a pseudo-science statement. Not only is the frequency increase very small (much smaller than that caused by air conditioning and air pollution), but the ionic charge is positive or negative-it has no effect on human behavior and has no physiological effect other than electrostatic shock. ^[10]

Negative air ionization has been shown in some studies to have a more positive effect than placebo when used to treat certain types of depression, such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), but the effect is not significant. This treatment requires ionization Many orders of magnitude are greater than any difference produced by the lunar cycle, and superior effects are found by using similar treatments with bright light instead of ionizers.