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Moon cycles and violent behaviours: myth or fact?
S Núñez1, L Pérez Méndez, A Aguirre-Jaime
1Emergency Department and Research Institute, Hospital Universitario N.S. de Candelaria, Carretera del Rosario, s/n, 38010 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
Summary
This study investigated if lunar phases correlate with emergency department visits for aggression. Our findings show no statistically significant link between moon phases and the frequency of violent behavior incidents.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Psychiatry
- Criminology
- Lunar Science
Background:
- Popular belief suggests lunar phases influence human behavior, including aggression.
- Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding moon phases and societal behavior.
- This research specifically examines the link between lunar cycles and emergency department admissions for violent incidents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that lunar phases correlate with the frequency of victims of aggression presenting to emergency departments.
- To determine if full moon or new moon phases are associated with an increase in violent incidents.
- To provide empirical data to either support or refute the popular belief in lunar influence on aggression.
Main Methods:
- Collected daily data on the frequency of aggression victims in an emergency department.
- Created a time series of this data spanning a specific period.
- Correlated the aggression data time series with a concurrent time series of lunar luminosity data.
- Performed cross-correlations within a -7 to +7 day lag range.
Main Results:
- Observed weak correlations between lunar phases and the frequency of aggression victims.
- Correlation coefficients ranged from -0.102 to +0.034.
- These correlations lacked statistical significance, indicating no reliable association.
Conclusions:
- The study's data does not support an association between lunar phases and the frequency of violent behavior.
- Lunar luminosity cannot be used to predict the incidence of aggression cases presenting to emergency departments.
- The popular belief linking moon phases to increased human aggression is not substantiated by this research.
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