# OK, let's talk about the full moon effect **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 6, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657 "2019-03-06T22:52:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/1 "2019-03-06T22:52:14Z")
It’s widely known that full moons affect people. Oh, people act differently, there are more emergency visits, and at worst, you turn in to a warewolf. Honestly, how can anyone believe this? The moon is still the moon, regardless of how it’s illuminated, it’s still the same moon. Yet I still hear perfectly normal people swear that the full moon is an actual thing that causes people to behave differently. Why would any rational person believe this? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/2 "2019-03-06T22:53:31Z")
Does a warewolf live in a warehouse? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/3 "2019-03-06T23:05:23Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Does a warewolf live in a warehouse? They live in a werehouse, which is a man who turns into a house during the full moon. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/4 "2019-03-06T23:06:50Z")
Well [Cecil](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/552/do-things-get-crazy-when-the-moon-is-full/) agrees with you. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/5 "2019-03-06T23:19:17Z")
More seriously, it’s almost certainly true that there is no “full moon effect” in that sense. But that conclusion is valid only after analyzing the evidence. We shouldn’t just dismiss it as obvious nonsense. Galileo famously similarly dismissed the idea that the tides were caused by the moon, since what possible effect could a remote body in the sky have on the ocean? (He thought tides were caused by the oceans sloshing around due to irregularities in the Earth’s motion.) The level of moonlight could conceivably have some effect on human behavior – [Seasonal Affective Disorder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder) is a real condition (probably) caused by lower light levels in winter. And I can testify from horrific personal experience that [Sundowning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundowning) is a real condition in dementia patients that seems to be related to light levels. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/6 "2019-03-06T23:19:34Z")
Warewolf? _Thare_ wolf! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/7 "2019-03-06T23:26:23Z")
Don’t the moon phases affect the tides and such? Seems possible that they might effect other things, too. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/8 "2019-03-06T23:43:57Z")
Werewolf. My mistake. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/9 "2019-03-07T00:43:22Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > It’s widely known that full moons affect people. Oh, people act differently, there are more emergency visits, and at worst, you turn in to a warewolf. > > Honestly, how can anyone believe this? The moon is still the moon, regardless of how it’s illuminated, it’s still the same moon. > > Yet I still hear perfectly normal people swear that the full moon is an actual thing that causes people to behave differently. Why would any rational person believe this? Well, it does cause \*some \*behavioral differences. During a full moon, I’m much more likely to point at the sky and say, “Check out that full moon!” for example. Less facetiously, a full moon on a clear night is going to provide more illumination, which suggests that there will be more people out and active on nights where there is a full moon, which means more opportunities for people to have accidents or engage in mischief than on nights with no visible moon. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/10 "2019-03-07T03:00:19Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Don’t the moon phases affect the tides and such? Seems possible that they might effect other things, too. The phase of the moon affects the tides in an odd way - the moon’s tides are the same regardless of phase, but the phase of the moon is related to the position of the sun relative to the moon. Therefore the phase of the moon is related to whether the solar tides will add to the lunar tides or cancel them out. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/11 "2019-03-07T03:09:25Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Less facetiously, a full moon on a clear night is going to provide more illumination, which suggests that there will be more people out and active on nights where there is a full moon, which means more opportunities for people to have accidents or engage in mischief than on nights with no visible moon. This would seem to make sense. But the world is not organised around what seems to make sense, so we need to look at the evidense, which in this case is lacking. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/12 "2019-03-07T05:05:32Z")
When you don’t have electric lights, a full moon is a great way to light your way at night. That means more people will be out and about during the full moon phases, leading to more activity, both positive or negative. A lot of otherwise hidden stuff can happen more frequently when you can see what you’re doing, but the drawback is others can also see what you’re doing. Crazy behaviour happens more often during the full moon because everybody is outdoors for longer, and you can see them more easily. Then there’s the confirmation bias. The full moon phases ought to be at most three nights, but it’s easily fudged to five, and at a pinch seven. That’s a quarter of the month. 25% of the time when something unusual happens you can consciously attribute to the full moon, and 75% can be unconsciously dismissed as an anomaly. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/13 "2019-03-07T05:15:15Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > When you don’t have electric lights, a full moon is a great way to light your way at night. That means more people will be out and about during the full moon phases, leading to more activity, both positive or negative. A lot of otherwise hidden stuff can happen more frequently when you can see what you’re doing, but the drawback is others can also see what you’re doing. Crazy behaviour happens more often during the full moon because everybody is outdoors for longer, and you can see them more easily. To repeat, this all sounds very plausible, but is an explanation for something that does not, in fact, exist. [Lunar Effect meta analysis](https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0033-2909.97.2.286) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/14 "2019-03-07T05:20:30Z")
I’m explaining where the myth originates, not why it’s true. Because it’s not true. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/15 "2019-03-07T05:42:42Z")
I was responsible for an emergency department for many years. I did an informal study comparing number and acuity of visits when the moon was full compared to average. No difference. Unless you left the road and ventured on to the moors. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/16 "2019-03-07T06:07:07Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’m explaining where the myth originates, not why it’s true. Because it’s not true. In which case you are phrasing it badly. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > Crazy behaviour happens more often during the full moon because everybody is outdoors for longer, and you can see them more easily. No it doesn’t, and it’s not more noticeable either. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/17 "2019-03-07T07:23:46Z")
> [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](#): > > In which case you are phrasing it badly. > > No it doesn’t, and it’s not more noticeable either. Obviously, they aren’t now. with street lighting everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/18 "2019-03-07T07:31:26Z")
> [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](#): > > In which case you are phrasing it badly. Your reading comprehension is not my responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/19 "2019-03-07T13:00:07Z")
The full moon affects my life in two main ways: - My yoga teacher wants to do a moon sequence, which is annoying. I’d rather stick to my regular practice. - When I point out something mildly different (say, traffic) certain people will nod knowingly and say: “Ah yes, nearly a full moon, see” - which is also annoying. Is it at all feasible to shine a strong light onto the moon so it always appears full and this waffling will end? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657/20 "2019-03-07T13:39:54Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I was responsible for an emergency department for many years. I did an informal study comparing number and acuity of visits when the moon was full compared to average. > > No difference. Unless you left the road and ventured on to the moors. Similar, I used to work as computer support and programmer for a county 911 agency. I was curious so I pulled our case statistics for something like a full year to see if the numbers were higher during full moons. Not a bit. It was a little bit disappointing, I admit. Some interesting things that I did see: there are more house fires when it’s raining, no idea why. And people definitely get drunk and fight more (so more domestic disputes) on Friday and Saturday nights. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-lets-talk-about-the-full-moon-effect/830657.md?page=2)