This came up on another list I subscribe to and as it's a TIPS perennial favourite, I thought I'd post my response here as well. I'm always thinking of you guys.
Teresa Binstock pointed to this article in The Independent:
> How the Moon rules your life
> At last, scientists claim to have found a link between our
> satellite and human behaviour>
> Roger Dobson
> Published: 21 January 2007
>
>
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article2171687.ec
Terri Fisher wrote:
> I was always under the impression that studies had failed to show a
> relationship between the phases of the moon and behavior. Is the work
> mentioned in this article legitimate, and if so, what accounts for the
> difference? Does anybody know?
>
Me too, same impression. A review by Martin et al was probably the most
influential in putting a stop to the moon--behaviour claim. Here's the
PubMed entry:
Psychol Rep. 1992 Dec;71(3 Pt 1):787-95. Links
Suicide and lunar cycles: a critical review over 28 years.
Martin SJ, Kelly IW, Saklofske DH.
20 studies which have examined the relations between completed
suicide or attempted suicide and suicide threats with the synodic lunar
cycle are reviewed. Most studies indicated no relation between lunar
phase and the measures of suicide. The positive findings conflicted, have
not been replicated, or were confounded with variables such as season,
weekday, weather, or holidays. It is concluded that there is insufficient
evidence for assuming a relationship between the synodic lunar cycle and
completed or attempted suicide
An earlier and more amusing review was contributed by the Straight Doper,
Cecil Adams ("Do things get crazy when the moon is full?" 13-Mar-1987)
at
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_337.html
Judging from a PubMed (search on "lunar" and "behavior") there are a
smattering of both positive and negative claims since then. The article
appears to have picked out a few of the positive ones, although we have
no guarantee that they were any better that the ones which Martin et al
trashed.
Probably the most important of these is the review published by a Polish
scientist, Michael Ziimecki, who is mentioned in the article. The
reference is:
Zimecki M. The lunar cycle: effects on human and animal behavior and
physiology. Postepy Hig Med Dosw (Online). 2006;60:1-7
You can get it on-line at http://www.phmd.pl/pdf/vol_60/8121.pdf
but you'd better understand Polish! There is an English abstract,
though.
My guess is that it's not yet time to revise the old conclusion that the
moon affects behavior claim is bunk. Makes good newspaper copy, though.
Stephen
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen L. Black, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
2600 College St.
Sherbrooke QC J1M 0C8
Canada
Dept web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
TIPS discussion list for psychology teachers at
http://faculty.frostburg.edu/psyc/southerly/tips/index.htm
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