Since time immemorial, when crime waves or strange events occur that make life in hospitals more hectic than normal, it is often blamed on the moon, specifically the full moon . But does this phase of the moon really affect us?
According to the latest research published in the journal Nursing Research and carried out over a period of 40 years, the moon has no influence on births or hospital admissions: “Dozens of studies show that belief is unfounded” , explains Jean-Luc Margot, professor of astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The study shows that neither violent behaviors, nor criminal activity, nor hospital admissions, nor complications in childbirth, nor depression, nor survival from cancer or motor vehicle accidents, have anything to do with the supposed influence of the moon in humans, since no association was found between the lunar cycle and the effect of this in all these situations .
“The moon is innocent,” clarifies Margot. So why do we continue to believe that the full moon affects and upsets us? It is a simple association with belief. When crimes or unusual situations occur on full moon days, it is said that it is a full moon, that is, it is associated with the old belief; However, when these same crimes or events occur on a day when there is no full moon, they are simply ignored , giving it that social weight thanks to what scientists call the “confirmation bias” (the tendency to favor information that confirms the own beliefs or hypotheses).
