Why does it seem like people act different during a full moon?
A good question. Indeed, sometimes people appear to act differently when they see a Full Moon or are told there is one. Your unaided eye and brain simply cannot see the difference between the Moon one night before a Full Moon, the Full Moon itself and one night after. So you are now able to apply any unusual human activity to a cluster of three or even five nights in a row. It’s as if you wondered if people acted weird on Wednesdays but also included Tuesdays and Thursdays without being aware of it. It is merely a common belief unsupported by actual evidence. Other than you feeling a sense of wonder while admiring a lovely “full” Moon, the evidence does not confirm any correlation between it and emotions, crime, or birthrates. This is a great example of something people generally believe which can be scientifically tested. In fact, this belief has been, something anyone with access to public records can repeat. Sometimes during a Full Moon there are more fires (and sometimes fewer). Sometimes there is more crime (and sometimes less). Sometimes more babies are born (and sometimes fewer). Most of the time there’s no measurable connection and it averages out! Why do we think there might be a connection? Many people hundreds of years ago thought to be under the Full Moon’s rays could make one crazy. Which is why the words lunacy and lunatic have the root luna, the Latin word for the Moon. Here’s the thing: whenever anything weird is going on, people jokingly say “Must be a Full Moon.” Even if there is not a Full Moon. That’s the popular culture part. Interestingly enough, your eyes and brain really cannot tell the difference between one night before, the night of, and one night after the Full Moon. In fact, one can’t see the difference up to two nights before and after. So, there’s a distinct possibility when things are odd, they may be happening over a three to a five-night range. Firefighters, the police and people who deliver babies seem to believe there are more fires, more crime, and more babies born during a Full Moon.