Science & Technology
Can the moon really affect human behavior ?
By
T.K. RandallMay 11, 2016 ·
36 comments
Can the phases of the moon affect how we sleep ? Image Credit: CC BY-2.0 Jason Bache
A new study has attempted to answer once and for all how lunar phases affect our moods and actions.
The phases of the moon have long held spiritual and metaphysical significance for mankind and even today remain associated with everything from bouts of erratic behavior to sleep deprivation.
Now though, in a renewed bid to find out if the moon really can make a difference to how we behave, a team of researchers from the Eastern Ontario Research Institute have analyzed the sleeping patterns of 5,812 children during several different phases of the moon.
Conducted over 28 months, the study found that there was a mere 5 minute difference between the average amount of sleep recorded during a full moon and that recorded during a new moon.
"Our study provides compelling evidence that the moon does not seem to influence people's behavior," said Dr. Jean-Philippe Chaput. "The only significant finding was the 1% sleep alteration in full moon, and this is largely explained by our large sample size that maximizes statistical power."
"Overall, I think we should not be worried about the full moon. Our behaviors are largely influenced by many other factors like genes, education, income and psychosocial aspects rather than by gravitational forces."
Source:
EurekAlert.org |
Comments (36)
Tags:
Full Moon
Please Login or Register to post a comment.