Natural Thought Prompt #4
A Stance on Lunacy
Prompt #4: How do you think the moon influences our behavior, if it does at all?
From ancient civilizations to society today, there remains a widely-held belief that the moon and its phases influence human behavior. Is this true, or is this a belief deeply ingrained in our minds from our ancestors?
Ultimately, science does not believe that the moon has any real influence on human behavior. At most, it may affect our sleep cycles, but nothing more than that.
A 2019 study conducted in Switzerland found that among 17,966 patients at inpatient psychiatric facilities, there was no uptick in admissions or erratic behavior during full moons or any other lunar phase. Other studies have determined that from melatonin production to menstruation cycles, there is no evidence of the moon influencing humans.
I work in a residential psychiatric facility, and I’ve had a coworker firmly tell me that the reason we had a rough night was that it was a full moon. She genuinely believes that the full moon makes people loony, or at least more difficult.
But that doesn’t mean other creatures aren’t influenced by the moon! Check out this article that goes over how some creatures react to the presence/lack of moonlight.
