The Belief in "Full Moons Cause Crimes and Craziness"
The belief that “Full Moons Cause Crimes and Craziness” is common in some societies around the globe. However, I think this belief is false. Individuals who hold to this belief claim that full moon is associated with “aggression, unintentional poisoning, absenteeism, and many other behavioral disorders” (Karan, Saxena, " Shah, 2010, p.420; Parmar et al., 2014, p.1).
Evidence Supporting the Belief
Similarly, Thakur and Sharma (1984) accept this belief by indicating that the appearance of full moon led to the rise of crime rates in some police stations in different parts of India. According to Thakur and Sharma (2010), the crimes linked to full moon days might be as a result of human tidal waves that arise from the moon’s gravitational pull. This way of thought is attributed to the renowned persons such as Aristotle and Pliny, the Elder who claimed that “the brain was the moistest organ in the body and thereby most susceptible to the pernicious influences on the moon, which triggers the tides” (Arkowitz " Lilienfeld, 2009).
Evidence Against the Belief
The results of Karan et al.’s (2010) study, however, showed that there was insignificant variation in crime rates between days with a full moon and those without a full moon (Karan, Saxena, " Shah, 2010). Similarly, Parmar et al. (2014) learned from different studies that phases of the moon do not impact occurrence or rise of psychiatric disorders. In their study, Alhumoud and Alhemoud (2012) also found out that the reporting of patients with mental illness in the emergency room was almost the same despite the variation in the phases of the moon. According to Arkowitz and Lilienfeld (2009), the gravitational pull of the moon is too minute to influence effect on the activities of the brain. They also argue that gravitational effect of the moon can be felt during new moons which are often invisible. Likewise, Owens and McGowan (2006) argue that majority of the studies that support the assertion that full moon causes psychiatric disorders are flawed with methodological errors. Other studies are inconclusive despite supporting this myth. According to Owens and McGowan, lunar cycles do not contribute in any way to change of human behavior or biological makeup (Owens " McGowan, 2006).
Alternative Explanations
According to Owens and McGowan, the Transylvanian effect associated with mental disorders can be as a result of sleep deprivation (Owens " McGowan, 2006). They argue that during full moon days, individuals are deprived of sleep because of the nocturnal illumination. Owens and McGowan continue by saying that partial sleep deprivation because of the moon’s lighting induces hypomania (Owens " McGowan, 2006). Similarly, Alhumoud and Alhemoud (2012) argue that the perception of the full moon by some individuals is psychological and not biological as many people believe. From their argument, it is evident that individuals are influenced to accept this belief as part of their culture (Schafer, Varano, Jarvis, " Cancino, 2010). According to Schafer et al. (2010), the occurrence of mental disorders in individuals during the days of a full moon might be as a result of climate change and not seasons. In support of this, they note that during periods associated with pleasant weather individuals become aggressive and hostile due to increase in human interactions. According to Schafer et al. (2010), excessive human interactions create room for interpersonal conflict. Thus, the belief that full moon influences rise of mental disorders is false.
References
Alhumoud, A. " Alhemoud, H. (2013). Lunar cycle effect on patient visit to psychiatry hospital emergency room: studying the ‘Transylvanian effect’ in an Islamic society. International Journal of Culture and Mental Health.
Arkowitz, H. " Lilienfeld, S. (2009). Lunacy and the Full Moon. Scientific American.
Effects of Full-Moon Definition on Psychiatric Emergency Department Presentations
Karan, J., Saxena, D., " Shah, H. (2010). Full Moon Days and Crime: Is there any association? International Journal of Criminology and Sociological Theory.
Owens, M. " McGowan, I. (2006). Madness and the moon: The lunar cycle and psychopathology. German Journal of Psychiatry.
Parmar, V. et al. (2014). Effects of Full-Moon Definition on Psychiatric Emergency Department Presentations. ISRN Emergency Medicine.
Schafer, J., Varano, S., Jarvis, J., " Cancino, J. (2010). Bad moon on the rise? Lunar cycles and incidents of crime. Journal of Criminal Justice
38 (4): 359-367.
Thakur, C. " Sharma, D. (1984). Full moon and crime. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed).
