There are many popular theories that say the full moon influences human behavior. Moon struck is a common expression, and other people talk about the “lunar effect” on behavior. Even the word lunacy refers to the moon, and it was once believed that the full moon could make someone mad. Hospital emergency rooms around the world often claim to be busier during the full moon, and police departments report more violent crime. So could human behavior be influenced by the moon, and if so, how can the moon influence human behavior? Let’s take a look at some of the most popular theories.
One theory seems to say that the moon can influence the human psyche or mind. It claims that frequencies emitted from the moon have a way of interfering with the sub-conscious mind. The subscribers of this theory believe that the frequencies emitted from the moon affect the frequencies of the sub-conscious mind by blocking frequencies, and making some of them stronger. For instance feelings of aggression or anger are said to be intensified during the full moon. This theory is very popular amongst spiritualists, and seems to come from ancient times.
Another theory tells us that it is actually the light of the full moon which can influence human behavior. The light which is transmitted from the moon can cause an “activation” of certain centers in the brain. This leads to heightened brain activity, and can lead to more uncontrolled feelings and actions. For instance, this effect could cause an author of a book to write more violent sequences into his book, or cause an otherwise normal person to commit a crime.
Perhaps the most popular theory relates to the gravitational pull of the moon. During the full moon, the moon’s gravitational pull on the earth is stronger, and this leads to high tide. Subscribers to this theory claim that as humans are also made out of water, the pull of the moon can affect the water in the human body. This in turn can lead to odd behavior, or critical illnesses such as heart attacks. Although hospitals claim to be busier on nights with a full moon, there are no conclusive studies to prove this theory.
The theories on “moon behavior” are very interesting, but could it be that human behavior itself influences these theories. After all, selective memory is a proven human behavior. Could it be that our memory fools us into believing that more crime or unexplained events take place on nights with a full moon? The moon is our closest neighbor in space, but yet we know very little about it, and the influence it might have on our behavior.
