Lunar Cyclic Behavior?

[The Yosemite Bear]

it's an observable fact, people seem to act different when there's a full moon. Ok what is the best scientific explanation to explain the sort of "Werewolf" life behavior in people?

[Ryushikaze]

People have expectations as to full moon behaviour, either societal or instinctual, and act accordingly.

If instinctual, which I only mention as a possibility, it could be related to way back in the early stages of modern man or preman, in that such odd displays might aid in impressing a potential mate.

That's just a rectal origined postulate though, so I wouldn't give it any more credit than it's due.

[weemadando]

My experience in customer service roles have shown me that people are in fact crazier than usual during a full moon.

Even when I haven't previously noted it as being a full moon, so there's that lack of expectation thing in my case.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

There appears to be no real, strong, correlation between the phase of the Moon and the incidence of bad behaviors. There are studies that suggest they might, and other studies which have found no such correlation.

[Ryushikaze]

My experience in customer service roles have shown me that people are in fact crazier than usual during a full moon.

Even when I haven't previously noted it as being a full moon, so there's that lack of expectation thing in my case.

I meant the people acting crazier feel it is expected of them, but ::

[kheegster]

Since the full moon makes visibility at night to be significantly better than in the other phases, you'd expect some sort of behavioural change in animals during these time.

I won't speculate any more on what those changes might be though,

[Winston Blake]

Since the full moon makes visibility at night to be significantly better than in the other phases, you'd expect some sort of behavioural change in animals during these time.

I won't speculate any more on what those changes might be though,

Such behavioural changes might include being able to loudly roam around the streets drunk without tripping over things in the dark.

[Big Orange]

Well the orbit of the moon affects the sea's tides and if it can affect water, it can also affect humans, when they mostly made out of the stuff.

[nickolay1]

Right, because humans are so massive that the gravitational attraction between them and the moon is not insignificant...

[Big Orange]

Well we're 90% water and the moon affects the water with it's orbit, so it must be to do with the water we are mostly made out of. Just a guess.

[Alerik the Fortunate]

Well we're 90% water and the moon affects the water with it's orbit, so it must be to do with the water we are mostly made out of. Just a guess.

The moon affects the tides not because of some sort of magical affinity for water, but because the oceans are made of a liquid that covers such a vast distance the variations in gravity over distance (i.e. tides) causes a bulge in the overall shape of the earth. The earth itself would show the same effects if it weren't rigid. As for humans, the ratio of our heights to our distance from the moon is so insignificant that even if our water weren't confined into channels by blood vessels and cell membranes, the effect that tides would have is so small that any other conceivable influence in our lives would be greater, including self-fulfilling expectation of lunar influence.[/quote]

[Big Orange]

The moon affects the tides not because of some sort of magical affinity for water, but because the oceans are made of a liquid that covers such a vast distance the variations in gravity over distance (i.e. tides) causes a bulge in the overall shape of the earth.

I know it is entirely to do with the gravity and not do with "magic" or BS like that. Maybe the effect of the moon's gravity field does have a very neglible effect on our water content, but something subtle must be happening (although it's still just a silly guess on my part).

[Surlethe]

I know it is entirely to do with the gravity and not do with "magic" or BS like that. Maybe the effect of the moon's gravity field does have a very neglible effect on our water content, but something subtle must be happening (although it's still just a silly guess on my part).

You're right. It is a silly guess. The moon's gravitational attraction on the water in your body is 0.002 N, and it accelerates you at about 0.00003 m/s/s. Care to explain how such negligible influence could possibly cause behavioral changes?

[Big Orange]

So if the moon's gravitational pull has very, very little affect on our water content, Surlethe, can you think of other reasons why some people act more strangely during full moon?

[Pint0 Xtreme]

it's an observable fact, people seem to act different when there's a full moon. Ok what is the best scientific explanation to explain the sort of "Werewolf" life behavior in people?

What the hell? I've never even heard of this observable fact, much less observe it. Am I that oblivious? Where's your evidence?

[Pick]

I find it odd people are trying to argue this without sources. I'm sure there have been studies done; we should be discussing their conclusions and validity if we expect to get a sensible answer.

[Surlethe]

So if the moon's gravitational pull has very, very little affect on our water content, Surlethe, can you think of other reasons why some people act more strangely during full moon?

You are aware of what the complex question fallacy is, yes?

[Howedar]

So if the moon's gravitational pull has very, very little affect on our water content, Surlethe, can you think of other reasons why some people act more strangely during full moon?

I'd be curious as to the mechanism that you think would cause this, especially since the gravitational force will act almost equally on every particle of the body. You do know what tidal forces are, right? The reason we have tides is because the size of the ocean allows the force of gravity to be different on different particles of the ocean. The force of gravity, of course, is equal to GmMr^-2. With the mean distance between the earth and the moon being about 3.85E+8m, and Joe Average Guy being about 2m tall, the percent difference in radius to the moon between his head and his toes is something on the order of 1E-8. Square that to get 1E-16, and that is the order of the tidal forces from the moon on your body.

Go ahead and explain to me how that's significant.

[Kuroneko]

Even if people do act "more strangely" during the full moon, there can be purely psychological explanations (in addition to the instictual explanation already mentioned above)--for example, a full moon may influence behavior merely because it has certain mental associations or superstitions, which may be self-reinforcing because acting on them leads to apparent justification. Alternatively, perhaps the comparatively uncommon event of a full moon makes "strange behavior" more memorable than at other times. In either case, no physical influence is necessary. After all, perpetuating delusions and selective bias, conscious or unconscious, are not that uncommon.

Of course, I've not seen any substantial evidence that people actually do alter their behavior during a full moon.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Big Orange, a large truck driving by you on the street exerts a greater gravitational influence than the moon does. Do you flip out every time a truck goes by?

[Covenant]

Big Orange, a large truck driving by you on the street exerts a greater gravitational influence than the moon does. Do you flip out every time a truck goes by?

God knows I do.

Also, by "observable fact" I think they mean how on full moons a bunch of the emergency responder folks reliably report an increase in activity--cops and hospitals and such. But is that really reliable?

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_a ... 0103b.html

Like a bunch of other occupational urban legends, despite the fact that people at hospitals and police often say that full moons are more active and more violent, there's been no actual scientific basis for it. There's no bump. There may be reports, or rumors, or publically accepted bumps in activity... but really, there's just no evidence for there being a real connection.

[Darth Servo]

IF there is any objective increase in crazyness during the full moon, I'd chalk it up to the same thing that causes horoscope predictions to be "accurate"--its a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Howedar]

There's a rather simple explaination - more light means it's easier to do dumb things after dark.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I've heard people spouting the theory that the 28-day moon cycle corresponds roughly to the 28-day menstrual cycle, and thus percieved behavioral changes might somehow relate to primal urges for procreation.

Mind you, I take such claims with a grain of salt, as I have yet to hear any convincing evidence that points to that conclusion. In fact, the only evidence for it seems entirely circumstancial.

[Big Orange]

*snip*

Since you know more about this than I do, I am no longer going to press such a silly theory forward.