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The full moon effect is a strange psychological phenomenon that is believed to affect the many moods of human beings. There is little research to support this belief. However, it is long held as a legitimate concern for people going through certain medical conditions to believe that the changing phases of the moon have a significant impact on such situations.
The concept of the 'lunar effect' is founded on the belief that moods and health conditions change during particular stages of the moon cycle. Many also claim that it can affect a range of health factors such as reproductive health, quality of sleep, the recurrence of certain illnesses, etc.
The full moon effects on mood have been the subject of many studies for quite a while now. There have been a lot many studies over the course of years. However, the inconclusive nature of the findings and the strong foothold of legends and folklore still make it one of the greatest mysteries ever!
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How does the moon affect humans?
The moon has been associated with subtle changes in the energy levels of human beings especially during its full phase. A bright, full moon effect may have been a factor that affected the quality of sleep.
It is to be noted that a 2021 study actually discovered that people had a few shifts and changes in their sleeping patterns before and during the full moon effect. These shifts included difficulty in falling asleep, falling asleep later than their usual time, and sleeping less than what they generally do.
Experts have hypothesized that this could be a part of a synchronized group behavior in humans arising from a time when there was no electricity. People during these times had to rely on natural light, such as moonlight to do a number of activities during the night. Consequently, the occurrence of higher energy levels could be an evolutionary marker in such cases.
Other studies have also suggested that people may sleep less on full moon nights because of rapid eye movement (REM) latency. Sleep latency is the time period between falling asleep and entering the first stage of REM sleep. Hence, increased latency is the situation when it takes longer to get to REM sleep.
A full moon effect: Can a full moon affect your mood and mental health?
Some people believe that the full moon affects the human moods and emotions. It is also widely accepted that it affects males and females differently. Although these are standard beliefs associated with the changing phases of the moon, no existing research as of yet has supported such claims.
The human system has developed to adapt to the changing states of light and darkness over eons of time. This has, in turn, led to the development of the circadian rhythm which affects a number of bodily functions, apart from just influencing your sleep cycles. The circadian rhythm affects our mental health as well.
However, contrary to notions regarding the disruption of states of mind by a full moon, research has not shown a distinct connection between the two. A 2017 study has in fact assessed the records of the emergency room of a facility having 140 beds. It found that the number of psychiatric cases was almost equal to what they had coming in on all four phases of the moon.
A 2019 review of around 18000 medical records from multiple healthcare facilities also came across the same thing. There was no relationship between the alterations in the psychiatric states of patients nor their admissions or discharges from the facilities.
Although the term “lunatic” may come from the lunar cycle not being in your favor, the good news is that you could still turn a blind eye to the superstitious beliefs regarding it. There could be some explanations for the gravitational pulls of the moon during high tides and low ones. These sometimes could have an effect on the bodily fluids.
But, when it comes to folklore and the superstitions along with the question: does the full moon affect mood, it could be a strong “no”.
