News, Moon Myths and Madness: Why Do We Believe?

[stan4]

Now, the reason why science does not look into this matter is simple; the idea that people go crazy or that weird stuff happens more often during a full moon is psychological, not scientific. If you believe, or at least think, that a full moon causes strange behavior then you will see it. Simply put, you see what you believe.

Or you see what's really there.

And where did anyone get the idea that people would get nuts during the full moon?

I agree it seems more likely to be a myth, but the idea came from somewhere...

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by stan4

Or you see what's really there.

And where did anyone get the idea that people would get nuts during the full moon?

I agree it seems more likely to be a myth, but the idea came from somewhere...

Of course you see what is there, it's just that you are more aware of certain things during a full moon because of the preconceived notion that more hijinks go down during a full moon.

The idea came from myth, legend, and early religions. Since the Moon cycles every 28 days, four weeks, many earlier civilizations used the Moon as a measurement of time (calendar) and the full moon was a good marker for events, especially since the majority of the population was illiterate. Hey, we are going to have a celebration the next time the Moon is 5/7 waning. Yeah, right. Hey, next full moon we'll get down and boogie. Which one would be more likely to set an event to?

But hey, maybe I am full of it. I mean, there was a time when it was considered absolute fact that one god made it rain while another made your hair grow and another was responsible for....etc., etc. What do I know?