Are you affected by the Moon?

[acute]

I don't grow hair and large canines, prowl the streets biting people, then wake up the next day in the wolf enclosure at the zoo, but I am (without any doubt) affected by the moon. It was pointed out to me by a girlfriend when I was in my late teens. The effect has lessened as I have become older, but is still there. It doesn't rule my life, I don't worry about it, and I don't look for it.

It is a unique feeling of restlessness and boredom, either one night pretty bad, or two consecutive nights not so bad, and always on or within 2 days either side of a full moon. I will turn on the TV, flick around the channels and watch nothing, turn it off, go for a walk, get bored, go home, look on the internet briefly, turn it off, and repeat! Possibly a lack of concentration too.

The moon controls the tides, and humans are 65% water, so a Lunar Effect is understandable though not explained. Several police forces around the world have documented a correlation between the lunar phase and violent crime, and alter their manpower levels accordingly. So, while I have no increase in aggression during these times, some obviously do.

My question is.....

Are you affected by the moon?

Edited May 20, 2015 by Blurfoot

[Lilly]

IMO the discerning factor is light. When the moon is full it stays light at night and people tend to be restless when it doesn't get very dark outside. So, if there are more people out and about there's a greater opportunity for criminal activity.

[Hugh]

I've never felt any noticeable difference attributable to which phase that the moon was in, other than liking how a full moon looks.

[acute]

IMO the discerning factor is light. When the moon is full it stays light at night and people tend to be restless when it doesn't get very dark outside. So, if there are more people out and about there's a greater opportunity for criminal activity.

We rarely get to see the moon, with our grim British weather.

[freetoroam]

When I was younger, in my "do i believe" days I did a bit of testing on myself with the full moon and found that I would get restless on full moons, but not anymore than any other moon. By then I had been testing my emotions and now believe its psychological if I feel restless.

I think the gravitational pull and light could have an effect on people....at the end of the day, some full moons are beautiful, the harvest moon in particular is very moving, so yes, that is an effect, certainly on me but that was not restless, more of an Awe.

[stereologist]

The Moon does control the tides, and humans have quite a bit of water in them, but that does not mean that there is a connection between the Moon and people. The water moves on Earth, but so do the rocks. The rocks don't move as much because they are more rigid. On other moons in the solar system we see that the tidal forces cause volcanoes. All of these effects are due to gravity acting between celestial objects.

Just as there studies that have detected a correlation there are many more studies that show no correlation. In fact all large scale studies show no connection to crime, suicides, dog bites, call to crisis centers, psychiatric admissions, or psychiatric problems.

[stereologist]

When astronomer George Abell was asked about the gravitation effect of the Moon on a person, he responded that a mosquito sitting on a person's arm exerted a greater force than the Moon does.

As the late astronomer George Abell of the University of California, Los Angeles, noted, a mosquito sitting on our arm exerts a more powerful gravitational pull on us than the moon does. Yet to the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports of a “mosquito lunacy effect.”

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lunacy-and-the-full-moon/

[krypter3]

I am. It's so pretty it makes me just stand in awe and watch it for a good five to ten minutes every full moon.

[+ouija ouija]

Yup, I'm affected by a full moon. I have difficulty sleeping, I feel agitated and lose my temper quite easily. I am a Cancerian and Cancer is the only Zodiac sign ruled by the Moon. I am more likely to be slightly psychic around that time, too.

[acute]

Yup, I'm affected by a full moon. I have difficulty sleeping, I feel agitated and lose my temper quite easily. I am a Cancerian and Cancer is the only Zodiac sign ruled by the Moon. I am more likely to be slightly psychic around that time, too.

Ah, yes, I missed that one out! I have difficulty sleeping, and some of my walks are at 3 in the morning!

I can be agitated and irritable too.

Edited May 20, 2015 by Blurfoot

[Professor T]

Yep.. And I've done my own research on my relationship with the moon thanks to personal dream journalism and a tidal clock.

1. A waxing crescent moon = crazy as dreams..
   
2. I'm more likely to have very meaningful dreams in both low & high tides..
   

It's been changing a bit more recently though.. Evening becoming more fluid, out more...

At any rate, it is my personal and professional opinion that there is definitely something to Lunacy, Lunatics and the likes..

I should know.. I am one..

[She-ra]

I think I'm affected by the full moon and I am also affected by barometric pressure.

I base this off everyday pain I have from my disability. When there is a low pressure in the weather report I feel pain more than usual; targeted and in specific areas; spine, hip, leg. I've been tracking this for about 18 months now.

Also, when there is a full moon I tend to have more pain flares and an overall feeling of pain (not targeted like with barometric pressure- more generalized). Prior to all this pain none of this affected me.

Since I've had this pain I notice every detail.

With regards to the moon, do you think maybe this has something to do with gravitational pull or something?

I can't explain while I feel this way and to answer your question...YES...I am affected.

[She-ra]

When astronomer George Abell was asked about the gravitation effect of the Moon on a person, he responded that a mosquito sitting on a person's arm exerted a greater force than the Moon does.

http://www.scientifi...-the-full-moon/

I didn't see this before I posted my question. That's good to know. Maybe my feeling is psychosomatic when it comes to the moon then? UGH.

[stereologist]

I think I'm affected by the full moon and I am also affected by barometric pressure.

I base this off everyday pain I have from my disability. When there is a low pressure in the weather report I feel pain more than usual; targeted and in specific areas; spine, hip, leg. I've been tracking this for about 18 months now.

Also, when there is a full moon I tend to have more pain flares and an overall feeling of pain (not targeted like with barometric pressure- more generalized). Prior to all this pain none of this affected me.

Since I've had this pain I notice every detail.

With regards to the moon, do you think maybe this has something to do with gravitational pull or something?

I can't explain while I feel this way and to answer your question...YES...I am affected.

The idea that the Moon's gravity affects people is not a realistic idea. Consider that the gravitational pull from the Moon is about the same regardless of the phase of the Moon.

I used to do a lot of activities at night based on the Moon. The best time for cross country skiing or hiking at night is a few days before the full moon. The reason is simple. There is about the same brightness at night and the Moon is up much earlier than when the Moon is full. A night time trip means no flashlights allowed. You have to deal with the available light. That makes the trip more fun.

The other issue is aches and pains when the weather changes. I know someone that does a pretty job of figuring out that the weather is changing. They base this on pains where there is a plate in the forearm. Kind of interesting how that happens.

[freetoroam]

I think I'm affected by the full moon and I am also affected by barometric pressure.

I base this off everyday pain I have from my disability. When there is a low pressure in the weather report I feel pain more than usual; targeted and in specific areas; spine, hip, leg. I've been tracking this for about 18 months now.

Also, when there is a full moon I tend to have more pain flares and an overall feeling of pain (not targeted like with barometric pressure- more generalized). Prior to all this pain none of this affected me.

Since I've had this pain I notice every detail.

With regards to the moon, do you think maybe this has something to do with gravitational pull or something?

I can't explain while I feel this way and to answer your question...YES...I am affected.

My old maths teacher would be affected badly by the weather. He had a motorbike accident many years prior and he was basically filled with metal pins in his arms and one leg, when the weather was cold and muggy he would be in pain. I so felt for him.

[She-ra]

Okay so I am editing my above post here to say YES I am affected by the weather - absolutely and I'm not really sure if I am affected by a Full Moon since it might be psychosomatic or something.

I do want to add that the weird thing about the moon is i will have this all over pain and THEN realize it's a Full Moon so I don't know. I'm probably just psyching myself out and I wouldn't be surprised. I will admit to that possibility - I have no shame

[AZDZ]

It depends on whose moon it is.

No, I don't think I am affected by the Moon. Good or bad things can happen at anytime regardless of where the Moon is at.

[She-ra]

It depends on whose moon it is.

[Daughter of the Nine Moons]

I think UM gets a little "strange" during a full moon.

<.<

Just saying.

[She-ra]

I think UM gets a little "strange" during a full moon.

<.<

Just saying.

Awe. We love you and thank you for all the work you do; especially during the Full Moon!

[XenoFish]

During the full moon. It's my only time. To wear my mask and look for campers by the full moons light. Mwahahahaha.

Edited May 20, 2015 by XenoFish

[acute]

Thank you for all the replies. Very interesting!

I think of this as something that will be explained one day. As I said earlier, we don't always get to see a full moon in this country with our grim British weather, so the symptoms I get usually come before any awareness of the Moon's phase, so I know it's not all in my head! Also, I didn't discover this for myself, I had it pointed out to me.

I forgot to mention in my original post that I have trouble sleeping during these times. It is like being bored and buzzing at the same time.

Regarding the rise (or not!) of violent crime during a full moon, Wikipedia has an interesting and balance article on the whole Lunar Effect thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_effect#Law_and_order

[stereologist]

From the article you mentioned,

A meta-analysis of thirty-seven studies that examined relationships between the moon's four phases and human behavior revealed no significant correlation. The authors found that, of twenty-three studies that had claimed to show correlation, nearly half contained at least one statistical error.^[1][3] Similarly, in a review of twenty studies examining correlations between Moon phase and suicides, most of the twenty studies found no correlation, and the ones that did report positive results were inconsistent with each other.^[3]

Examining the available studies shows that there is no lunar effect.

Here are some more references to studies finding no lunar effects.

Kelly, I. W., Laverty, W.H., & Saklofske, D.H. 1990. “Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LXIV. An Empirical Investigation of the Relationship Between Worldwide Automobile Traffic Disasters and Lunar Cycles: No Relationship.” Psychological Reports, 67, 987–994.

Rotton, J., & I.W. Kelly 1985. “Much Ado About the Full Moon: A Meta-Analysis of Lunar-Lunacy Research.” Psychological Bulletin, 97, 286–306.

Gutiérrez-García, J. M. & Tusell, T. 1997. “Suicides and the Lunar Cycle.” Psychological Reports, 80, 243–250.

Kung, S., & Mrazek, D.A. 2005. “Psychiatric Emergency Department Visits on Full Moon Nights.” Psychiatric Services, 56, 221–222.

Chapman, S., & Morrell, S. 2000. “Barking Mad? Another Lunatic Hypothesis Bites the Dust.” British Medical Journal, 321, 1561–1563.

Thompson, D.A., & Adams, S.L. 1996. “The Full Moon and ED Patient Volumes: Unearthing a Myth.” American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 14,161–164.

[Hawken]

A friend of mine used to be a dispatcher for the city police in a small town of 2000. She said that on a full moon,

people would call and make complaints over silly things. She got one call on a full moon from a citizen that an owl

was hooting loud and keeping her awake. So she suggested to the citizen to wear earmuffs.

[Imaginarynumber1]

SNIP

Well, you pretty much said and linked everything that I was going to. I guess my work here is done.