Insanity or common issue?

[DanDeFool]

Whether it be mental or a spiritual thing, people seem to draw energy from that certain phase of the moon. I, myself, get a bit of a boost off of a new moon. It's not an uncommon thing, though, so don't worry about insanity.

If I may take the perspective of a wannabe evoloutionary biologist for a moment, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this which should be obvious to you if you've ever been out during a full moon far away from city lights. You'll find that it's very easy to see at night when the moon is full or near-full, as long as there are no other sources of bright, ambient light to compete.

Now, before the development of fire or flex-time, the main thing limiting our activity at night would have been that we were simply unable to see well when it got dark. That limitation goes away when the moon is full; you can easily see well enough to get around. I think I remember some studies showing that light levels can be correlated to activity levels in humans, and implicated nocturnal light sources (such as the lights in your house) as a potential contributor to insomnia.

Now, as to the specific effect of the full moon on early humans I can only speculate. It may be a heightened alertness/edginess to be on the watch for nocturnal predators, or just an urge to party all night long and get some 10,000 BC action (could be that, at the time, lunar cycles and women's cycles just about matched up).

 

[Kasawd]

Whether it be mental or a spiritual thing, people seem to draw energy from that certain phase of the moon. I, myself, get a bit of a boost off of a new moon. It's not an uncommon thing, though, so don't worry about insanity.

If I may take the perspective of a wannabe evoloutionary biologist for a moment, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this which should be obvious to you if you've ever been out during a full moon far away from city lights. You'll find that it's very easy to see at night when the moon is full or near-full, as long as there are no other sources of bright, ambient light to compete.

Now, before the development of fire or flex-time, the main thing limiting our activity at night would have been that we were simply unable to see well when it got dark. That limitation goes away when the moon is full; you can easily see well enough to get around. I think I remember some studies showing that light levels can be correlated to activity levels in humans, and implicated nocturnal light sources (such as the lights in your house) as a potential contributor to insomnia.

Now, as to the specific effect of the full moon on early humans I can only speculate. It may be a heightened alertness/edginess to be on the watch for nocturnal predators, or just an urge to party all night long and get some 10,000 BC action (could be that, at the time, lunar cycles and women's cycles just about matched up).

Thank you, sir, you have given me something to think about. I like it, I really do.

 

[Raticate5]

The moon controls the tides, and our brains are 75% water. it would be foolish to assume that the moon would have no effect on us.

But it's definitely not an uncommon phenomenon, (ever wonder about the etymology of "lunatic"?)

 

[ffian1]

I generally have issues sleeping sometimes during a full moon- but whether it's coincidence, the increase in light at night or something a little more based in science, I'm not sure

 

[Tucker154]

Im the same way,but i noticed this a while ago so dont worry bout it.

 

[Baldry]

I've never noticed a difference, or maybe it's just that I never stop to realise there's a full moon.

Either way, I remain quite spiffing.

I and you both sir.

 

[Twilight_guy]

There's a reason they call it lunacy you know. People used to think the moon made people act funny. Maybe it has effect on human behavior, who knows. I certainly have never seen but it is possible, if unlikely.

 

[Xanadu84]

Because even the most rational people, on occasion, let superstition sneak into there heads in harmless ways. Even if they tell themselves otherwise, people still end up seeing patterns where there are none. Need an example? Play D+D. Watch your die rolls. Ive seen the most cynical, scientific minded, down to earth realists imaginable start rolling a die repeatedly, waiting to hit a lucky streak before they have to make that key saving throw. Superstition is a powerful thing. Either that or something changes for you when you have more light at night.

 

[EboMan7x]

Read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_effect

 

[Snowden's Secret]

Well I for one do enjoy the presence of the full moon, gazing at it, walking around under it, basking in it's glow, etc, but I don't notice anything different (besides that). I would make a meaningful suggestion, but everyone else before me seems to have got it right, leaving me with nothing else to say.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

I find that the moon gives me more awareness to what happens around me on all plains mostly the spiritual beings who protect me

 

[Seldon2639]

~snip~

If I had to guess, this is a combination of the confirmation bias, psycho-physiological changes, and a few other cognitive dissonance type things.

Basically, you may actually feel more energetic, due to expecting to feel more energetic. Your body responds to what you expect.

But, my more reasonable guess is that your lunacy (get it? I know where "lunatic" comes from, aren't I clever?) has the same origin as PMS: bad statistics work. You're looking back on previous events, and finding a pattern which doesn't actually exist (also called type-1 error, or apophenia to be pretentious). You're looking at a series of data, and finding a pattern both based on your recollection (usually faulty) and the human desire to find some sort of pattern to any series of information (always faulty).

On the PMS thing, before I get flamed for not understanding biology/women/ect., in studies where women track their moods on the actual day (rather than in hindsight), there is no significant difference in mood/moodswings/depression/agitation on days when "PMS" should be happening than on any other day. It's a random distribution which, due to the aforementioned confirmation bias, has come to have an incorrect pattern attributed to it.

Basically, women remember when they're agitated and on their period. You remember when you're excitable and it's a full moon. Women forget to account for times when they're agitated and not on their period, and I'll wager you're not taking into account the full moons you've been calm, or the other times you've been excited.

We like pattern-finding, and we're often wrong about it.

 

[The Bum]

i don't know about that but i do feel a bit safer when there is no moon easyer to concel myself i guesse

 

[TheScarecrow]

Hmm, could have something to do with our, somewhat hazy now, animal instincts...

 

[Sightless Wisdom]

It's certainly plausible that the moon would affect the chemical balance of a persons brain...I shall have to look into the matter!

 

[alexdulcianu]

Thank you for your answers, you have been very helpful.