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Moon Myths and Madness: Why Do We Believe?

abcnews.go.com — Some Believe Lunar Phases Affect Health, Crime, Agriculture and More. Why are lunar cycles linked to agriculture, health, violence and more? On this 40th anniversary of the moon landing, let's consider where these beliefs and urban legends come from.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 18, 2009

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  • Lucas123, on 07/17/2009, -0/+23Lunacy
  • EverybodyPanic, on 07/18/2009, -0/+19The moon is fake. In reality it is a giant spot light used to intensify night vision for the spy satellites watching us in the dark.
  • inactive, on 07/18/2009, -2/+14The moon is nothing but a rock in space. It has no magical powers.
  • skews13, on 07/18/2009, -0/+11Certain fish species do not spawn until the moon is full. Volcanic activity is directly related to it's gravitational pull. As do the tidal shifts. There are plenty of other correlations between the moon, and activity on the planet.
  • anonymousmedic, on 07/18/2009, -1/+11As someone who works in EMS can tell you: Full moons make people act nutty
  • S1ngular1ty1, on 07/18/2009, -0/+6It is the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing, that is why.
  • HentaiJeff, on 07/18/2009, -0/+5today's the 40th anniversery of apollo 11, that's why.
  • MrSparkle666, on 07/18/2009, -1/+6This article is *****. There are plenty of scientific studies that show a correlation between moon phases and violent behavior, crime, mental illness, etc. There also happen to be plenty of studies that show no correlation. When you have conflicting studies like that, the results should simply be considered inconclusive. It is wrong to say there is definitevely no connection at all; it's all superstitiion. Is every single study that shows there is a connection just flat out bad-science then? I find it hard to believe that all of those studies that show a correlation are wrong, even if there is a higher volume of studies that show no correlation. This is a case of bad journalism and needlessly jumping to conclusions.

  • j4rcher, on 07/18/2009, -0/+4the moon is made of cheese
  • cJw314, on 07/18/2009, -0/+4As a husband a Labor/Delivery nurse, it also makes ladies have babies.
  • gottadiggit, on 07/18/2009, -0/+3Well said. We have a history as a species of trying to discredit the things we are not yet ready or capable of understanding. Considering that most, use to think everything rotated around the earth, sheds light on our own arrogance and it still has not changed.
  • tightscrummy, on 07/18/2009, -0/+3As a Quicky Mart employee and part-time detective I assure you that the more ice cream is sold the more rapes occur.
  • graminal, on 07/18/2009, -1/+4Yeah, ***** scientists and empirical evidence, anecdotal ***** rules!
  • TheDougem, on 07/18/2009, -0/+2Also, NASA appears to be trying to stir up some excitement over the moon since they just may make another moon push soon. With China possibly setting foot on the moon it's almost sure to put some pressure on us to do it again.
  • SixOrSoPapers, on 07/18/2009, -0/+2As an accidentally the chef, it also makes people eat food.
  • defubar, on 07/18/2009, -0/+2The world is flat!
  • tightscrummy, on 07/18/2009, -0/+2OK, N=1. Next?
  • pegothejerk, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1Because it's a thing "floating" in the sky above us. We have a primitive brain that wants to worship things that defy logic (everything else obeying gravity). It is just our subconscious mind freaking out and telling our conscious mind to believe it 'cause it's serious about this. Nothin' to worry about.
  • inactive, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1"I've got nukes out the ying-yang let me just launch one."
    "Sir, are you suggesting we blow up the moon?"
    "Would you miss it, would you miss it?"
  • RSMiller, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1Anyone else catch that the "science has shown us" points to http://abcnews.go.com/technology? This article doesn't even answer the question it asks. Author fail. Editor fail. Article fail.

    http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/200 ...
  • inactive, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1Someone has yet to see Austin Powers.
  • Brak710101, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1Just a mix of little scientific understanding, folk lore, and correlation.
  • daschupa, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1Scientifically nothing, psychologically everything. People act like freaks when a full moon is out and that is a fact.
  • frostillicus321, on 07/18/2009, -2/+3as a bouncer i assure you full moons make people go wild
  • gamer_013, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1Yeah, so what's with this obsession with the moon that seems to have taken over digg lately?
  • Dustin00, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1Who is this "we" you speak of?
  • thathappycat, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1Did anyone else hum the moon theme from Ducktales?
  • borez, on 07/18/2009, -4/+5I don't care how many ***** scientist tell us that there is no connection between a full moon and strange behaviour, sorry, but as somebody who ran a nightclub in central London for eight years I can categorically tell you that when there's a full moon, there's a more likely outcome of violent and disruptive behaviour. And I have the security incident log books to prove this fact.



  • GT35R, on 07/19/2009, -0/+1I dont think it has anything to do with the moon itself but rather the timing or coicidence.
  • ViscidGobs, on 07/21/2009, -0/+1EMS? You should see PMS.
  • GT35R, on 07/18/2009, -2/+3as an EMT i can say it does have some effect
  • geoffg, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1Many people don't understand the difference between correlation and causation.
  • ViscidGobs, on 07/21/2009, -0/+1The Moon is full...clothing ripping...hair extending.....blood borne lycanthropy virus.... Wooooooooooo.
  • mwilhelm, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1I conducted my own study. My thorough and comprehensive analysis found within a 95% certainty that 98% of all scientific studies are complete *****

    when framed in the context of a subjective observer.

    Thanks ABC.
  • Antialias, on 07/18/2009, -2/+3Statistically the birth and 911 full moon theories have been proven false.
  • mwilhelm, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1I dug you up for referencing a profound understanding of cosmology that was developed nearly 2000 years before Copernicus.
  • mwilhelm, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1The difference between science and magic is 300 years of secular history.
  • Chickenlox, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1this is madness!
  • funkywood, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1"The moon is nothing but a rock in space. It has no magical powers."

    Try adding 3 wolves to the mix and then you'll become a believer.
  • tightscrummy, on 07/18/2009, -1/+1Relax, nobody is doubting that there's a correlation between the phase of the moon and behavior. The issue is whether there's a causal relationship.
  • saltybull, on 07/18/2009, -1/+1as an EMT myself...the study's proved a while ago that the full moon has no effect on human society..BUT.. I believe it's the coincidence of welfare checks coming out known as "Check Day" that effects our PT.s that coincides with the full cycles of the moon that explains for the insurgence of alcohol/drug induced violence along with the "I better get checked out!" phenomenon we experience! If I remember correctly the full moon is usually a day or two after "check day"...

  • ruskicommi, on 07/18/2009, -1/+1and the streets is paved with gold
  • ophello, on 07/18/2009, -1/+1Willful ignorance?
  • cJw314, on 07/18/2009, -3/+2Statistically, statistics are *****.

    Wait, so you're calling my wife a liar, *****?
  • Gypsi17, on 07/18/2009, -1/+0"It is unbelievable how many nurses in southwest Pennsylvania believed in the superstitions,"

    Lol, it's not a superstition if you experience it yourself. If the moon can shift the tides, I can make a good guess that it can shift the fluids in your body and make people go crazy.

    Some scientists just want to discredit anything remotely connected to magic because they found out that Santa wasn't real too early in life.
  • endgame, on 07/18/2009, -2/+1I seem to have more energy when their is a full moon, seriously.
  • woofers07, on 07/18/2009, -2/+1What's with the barrage of moon related articles?
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