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How Much Does A Full Moon Affect Behaviour?

maximus otter said:
l’d never heard of this nutter, but the alleged connection with the moon suggested some research.

Gore murdered his parents “on the morning of 9th September 1991”. According to Moon Phases UK, the moon was “waxing crescent”, i.e. looked like this:

waxing-crescent-moon-in-the-forest-dan-sproul.jpg


Carmel Gamble - one of the other murders for which he’s a suspect - was murdered on 11.11.89, the night before a full moon.

The murder of Melanie Road, the other potential Gore victim, was cleared up by a DNA match, and Christopher Hampton is now serving 22 years for it. (The moon was “waxing gibbous” on 8.6.84, the night of the crime.)

waxing-gibbous-moon-quarter-black-night-sky-36000536.jpg


maximus otter
Click to expand...
That's what comes of relying on the Daily Mail! (I don't usually dare go there...)
 
I thought the full moon thing had been debunked a while ago, but just thinking; has anyone notice their pet(s) behaving oddly during full moons and/or particular lunar phases?
 
This thread reminded me that I have a book sitting forgotten on my shelves, Moon Madness by Paul Katzeff, published in 1988. I don't think I've even opened it in decades. I don't remember much about it, but it seemed a solid enough read. I'll have to dig it out and have a flick through.
 
What cant be dismissed is the moons effect on the tides, that's a awful lot of power
to raise and lower the tide so powerful is the moons pull that it also moves the Earths
surface as much as 22 inches if it can do that it could have a effect on living things we
don't understand.

All you wanted to know about tides.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/cause-effect-tides/
 
It's the extra light, I tells ya. I can nae sleep about a fully. It is written.

Even the police know the nutters go nuts when the bulb glows brightest. It is written. It is known.
 
Na the Moon sucks, so much in fact that it sucks our wedding tackle nearer
our heads, and we all know what happens when we think with our loins.
:omr: :itslove:you know it makes sense.
 
The Moon sucks our essential essences.

Said someone in a Kubrick film a long time ago.
 
escargot said:
What I found when working in education/care/psychiatric/secure environments was that challenging behaviour was retrofitted to the weather or moon phase and given as an explanation after the event.
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So you feel that when the moon is full, it does not affect people at all?
 
Ronnie Jersey said:
So you feel that when the moon is full, it does not affect people at all?
Click to expand...
It certainly seemed to affect my friend's brother. Whether it was due to overly light nights disrupting his sleep pattern causing him to be very moody , I don't know. But it was certainly recognized by his parents and friends. Weird.
 
I definitely get a little bit down and anxious the couple of days before a full moon - the rest of the month I'm about the least down and anxious person you'll ever meet.

My dad, who was a lot older than my mum, served in WW2 and then became a primary school headmaster (not dissimilar professions, he always used to claim). He was not particularly interested in the esoteric but was definitely of the opinion that soldiers became more antsy around a full moon and young children more agitated.

The former might be taken as a combatant's response to being lit up at night (although, ironically, you're probably less likely to be attacked during a full moon, as I believe that most modern armies prefer full darkness for night time offensive action.) That said, my dad's opinion was based equally on observation of situations well outside any battle zone.

And although my dad believed that a full moon did affect children's behaviour, he was of the opinion that very windy days were much worse.
 
RaM said:
What cant be dismissed is the moons effect on the tides, that's a awful lot of power to raise and lower the tide so powerful is the moons pull that it also moves the Earths surface as much as 22 inches if it can do that it could have a effect on living things we don't understand.
Click to expand...

Yes, and these gravitational effects are the focus of a recently published meta-analysis of prior research which indicates there is some sort of behavioral correlation with these gravitational effects. However, more research will be needed to determine whether there's a causal relationship in play here and what it may be.
Biological Activity on Earth Really Is Affected by The Gravity of The Sun And Moon

... The gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon really does appear to affect flora and fauna activity, although the exact mechanisms by which this happens remain unclear, new research suggests.

From a meta-analysis of previous studies, researchers suggest gravitational tides can change the way that animals and plants sleep, move, and grow – even when other triggers (such as the cycles of night and day) are factored out.

While gravitational tides of the Sun and the Moon might be comparatively weak – only a millionth of the pull of Earth's gravity when combined – the research shows that these tides are still an important consideration when weighing up organisms' behavior.

"All matter on Earth, both live and inert, experiences the effects of the gravitational forces of the Sun and Moon expressed in the form of tides," biophysicist Cristiano de Mello Gallep from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil told Agência FAPESP.

"The periodic oscillations exhibit two daily cycles and are modulated monthly and annually by the motions of these two celestial bodies. All organisms on the planet have evolved in this context." ...

"The data shows that in the absence of other rhythmic influences such as lighting or temperature, local gravitational tides are sufficient to organize the cyclical behavior of these organisms," says Gallep.

"This evidence questions the validity of so-called free-run experiments, in which several environmental factors are controlled but gravitational oscillations are not taken into consideration. These oscillations continue to exist, and may modulate the behavior of living organisms." ...

The influence of these tides on animals and plants has been written about for many years in scientific studies, but the aim of the new meta-study was to bring attention to its pervasiveness and the need to consider it more widely in research projects. ...

The research has been published in the Journal of Experimental Botany.
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FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/animal...s-affected-by-the-gravity-of-the-sun-and-moon
 
Here are the bibliographic details and abstract for the published research report. The full report is accessible at the link below.

Cristiano de Mello Gallep, Daniel Robert
Are cyclic plant and animal behaviours driven by gravimetric mechanical forces?
Journal of Experimental Botany, 2021; erab462
https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erab462

Abstract
The celestial mechanics of the Sun, Moon, and Earth dominate the variations in gravitational force that all matter, live or inert, experiences on Earth. Expressed as gravimetric tides, these variations are pervasive and have forever been part of the physical ecology with which organisms evolved. Here, we first offer a brief review of previously proposed explanations that gravimetric tides constitute a tangible and potent force shaping the rhythmic activities of organisms. Through meta-analysis, we then interrogate data from three study cases and show the close association between the omnipresent gravimetric tides and cyclic activity. As exemplified by free-running cyclic locomotor activity in isopods, reproductive effort in coral, and modulation of growth in seedlings, biological rhythms coincide with temporal patterns of the local gravimetric tide. These data reveal that, in the presumed absence of rhythmic cues such as light and temperature, local gravimetric tide is sufficient to entrain cyclic behaviour. The present evidence thus questions the phenomenological significance of so-called free-run experiments.

SOURCE / FULL REPORT: https://academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jxb/erab462/6417250
 
EnolaGaia said:
Here are the bibliographic details and abstract for the published research report. The full report is accessible at the link below.

Cristiano de Mello Gallep, Daniel Robert
Are cyclic plant and animal behaviours driven by gravimetric mechanical forces?
Journal of Experimental Botany, 2021; erab462
https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erab462

Abstract
The celestial mechanics of the Sun, Moon, and Earth dominate the variations in gravitational force that all matter, live or inert, experiences on Earth. Expressed as gravimetric tides, these variations are pervasive and have forever been part of the physical ecology with which organisms evolved. Here, we first offer a brief review of previously proposed explanations that gravimetric tides constitute a tangible and potent force shaping the rhythmic activities of organisms. Through meta-analysis, we then interrogate data from three study cases and show the close association between the omnipresent gravimetric tides and cyclic activity. As exemplified by free-running cyclic locomotor activity in isopods, reproductive effort in coral, and modulation of growth in seedlings, biological rhythms coincide with temporal patterns of the local gravimetric tide. These data reveal that, in the presumed absence of rhythmic cues such as light and temperature, local gravimetric tide is sufficient to entrain cyclic behaviour. The present evidence thus questions the phenomenological significance of so-called free-run experiments.

SOURCE / FULL REPORT: https://academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jxb/erab462/6417250
Click to expand...
Well, I did notice as I put out the recycle bin out quite late a few nights ago, that I had an orchestral accompaniment of many Robin's singing their heads off really loudly when there was an approaching full Moon, and a misty murky atmosphere. So I guess there's a lot of truth in that report!
 

What Is The 'Lunar Effect,' And What Does It Have to Do With Shark Attacks? ​


When the full Moon rises, strange things can happen here on Earth. Oysters snap close. Corals spawn. Zooplankton dive deeper. Seabirds stick to the shore. And lions hunt less.

Several of these behaviors are tied to moonlight; others, to tides. But some have no clear explanation at all.

More than 50 years' worth of shark attack data, for instance, has now found that sharks bite humans more when the Moon is fuller.

iu


"It's not a matter of more light at night for sharks to see. Most shark attacks occur in the daylight," explains ecologist Steve Midway from Louisiana State University.

So what is it? We don't know. The relationship could simply be random – a fluke in the data – or it could be a result of the 'lunar effect'.

The lunar effect is an unproven correlation between the phases of the Moon and the activity of plants and animals here on Earth.

That might sound supernatural at first, but there's good reason to suspect an invisible string from our nearest neighbor is puppeteering life on our planet.

A recent meta-analysis, for example, found compelling evidence that gravitational tides can change the way animals and plants sleep, move, and grow. Although, the exact way in which this happens is still a mystery.

Marine life seems to be particularly influenced by the Moon, and sharks are no exception. Their movements and natural feeding patterns have been tied to lunar rhythms in the past.

https://www.sciencealert.com/sharks-might-really-bite-humans-more-during-certain-phases-of-the-moon

maximus otter
 
PeteS said:
It certainly seemed to affect my friend's brother. Whether it was due to overly light nights disrupting his sleep pattern causing him to be very moody , I don't know. But it was certainly recognized by his parents and friends. Weird.
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Every bartender or nurse I've known claims that full moon phases have a major effect on certain people, and I guess they would know!
The bartenders told me that some become erratic and get into fights, while the nurses told me that more people come to the emergency rooms with all kinds of complaints.
 
People are not equivalent to oceans. Bartenders and nurses aren't running scientific experiments.
All claims of increased births, accidents, crimes, etc. have never coalesced under a common conclusion.

Until someone explains with physics how a certain phase of a space body could cause an effect (gravitational or otherwise) on the insignificant mass of any organism on earth, I will consider this claim BS. The data (anecdotes aren't data) from "people" who say so means nothing because their views are overwhelmed by what they have heard from unsupported tales and rumors.

It's dangerous for society to believe nonsense. See anti-vaxxers.
 
RaM said:
What cant be dismissed is the moons effect on the tides, that's a awful lot of power
to raise and lower the tide so powerful is the moons pull that it also moves the Earths
surface as much as 22 inches if it can do that it could have a effect on living things we
don't understand.

All you wanted to know about tides.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/cause-effect-tides/
Click to expand...
I read a couple of Lyall Watson books many many moons ago, Supernature and Lifetide. One of them investigated the life cycle of a certain worm which rides the tide to its highest position every seven years. Apparently the full cycle of the moon is said, in the books, to be seven years. At its highest point in this seven year cycle the worm jumps off the tide lays its eggs and makes its way back to the water. The eggs are therefore not washed away by the tide and when they hatch the small worms make their way down the beach to the sea.

One of my former partners had suffered with mental health issues and when we got together she had come out of the darkest period and was well on the mend, however she used to start drinking as we neared a full moon and climaxed at the time of the full moon. Afterwards she would slowly leave the booze behind until the whole cycle started again. Whether it was just coincidence or was due to a biological issue such as her menstrual bicycle I never worked it out, but the years we were together the time of the full moon was a time I used to dread.
 
Yet you need quite large bodies of water before you see any tidal effects. Your bowl of cornflakes don,t run over at full moon.
 
This is what I meant when I said "All claims of increased births, accidents, crimes, etc. have never coalesced under a common conclusion."
https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/moon.html
Every study is different - increase, decrease or no correlation - the results do not reinforce each other. If there was such a drastic, significant effect like people claim everyone knows, it would have been clearly demonstrated by now. It's a social belief - which is interesting in itself so I don't get why people have to cling to the wrongness. (See also Havana Syndrome and Needle Panics.)

I would strongly caution people to never use the "people are mostly water" moon tides argument. It's such a clanger, similar to "we only use 10% of our brain".
 
maximus otter said:
l’d never heard of this nutter, but the alleged connection with the moon suggested some research.

Gore murdered his parents “on the morning of 9th September 1991”. According to Moon Phases UK, the moon was “waxing crescent”, i.e. looked like this:

waxing-crescent-moon-in-the-forest-dan-sproul.jpg


Carmel Gamble - one of the other murders for which he’s a suspect - was murdered on 11.11.89, the night before a full moon.

The murder of Melanie Road, the other potential Gore victim, was cleared up by a DNA match, and Christopher Hampton is now serving 22 years for it. (The moon was “waxing gibbous” on 8.6.84, the night of the crime.)

waxing-gibbous-moon-quarter-black-night-sky-36000536.jpg


maximus otter
Click to expand...
I do enjoy a waxing crescent. Probably my favourite of them all.
 
Xanatic* said:
Yet you need quite large bodies of water before you see any tidal effects. Your bowl of cornflakes don,t run over at full moon.
Click to expand...
You, quite correctly, point out that a bowl of cornflakes is smaller, than say the Pacific ocean. So any differences would also be noticeably smaller too, minute in fact, I would think. Has anyone tested this using precision instruments to see if there is indeed any pull?
 
Floyd1 said:
You, quite correctly, point out that a bowl of cornflakes is smaller, than say the Pacific ocean. So any differences would also be noticeably smaller too, minute in fact, I would think. Has anyone tested this using precision instruments to see if there is indeed any pull?
Click to expand...
Well, logically thinking. . . the Moon only reflects the available light from the Sun, with a bit of Earth light thrown into the mix. So maybe - as Sunlight brings us life on Earth, then maybe the light of the Moon may have it's part to play also? I imagine that it certainly would do.:pipe:
 
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