In June 2007, the police department in Brighton, UK made a strange move. They deployed their officers on duty on the basis of the lunar cycle. Following this incident, the Sussex police made a similar decision. A study made by the Sussex police department showed that there was a sharp rise in violence on full moon days/nights. According to an interview by BBC, a police officer has said –

“From my experience of 19 years of being a police officer, undoubtedly on full moons we do seem to get people with sort of strange behavior – more fractious, argumentative.”


In 2008, New Zealand’s Justice Minister Annette King recommended that the increase in stabbings in the nation could have been caused by the effect of the lunar cycle on the criminal minds.

In US, the police in Ohio and Kentucky have held liable rises in crime on the full Moon. A correlation was found to exist between Moon phase and the number of homicides in Dade County.

Moon has always been the enthralling entity of romance and poets. But the moon which blooms love is also responsible for tides. Imagine if the moon can affect a huge ocean, are we truly untouched? Not to forget than our bodies are made of 80% water.


According to Wikipedia, “The term lunar effect refers to correlations between specific stages of the roughly 29.5-day lunar cycle and behavior in humans or other living things.” Have you noted that the other word for madness is ‘lunacy’? It has its roots in the Latin word ‘Luna’ which means the moon. Did the ancients already know something was strange?

In animals the effect of lunar cycle is easy to see. The full moon and new moon nights show a higher pattern of mating and spawning. Humans being more complicated in activity than animals, have more interesting ways of reacting to the moon. Research has shown that sleep patterns are affected on full moon nights, leading to lesser sleep and more chances of insomnia.

People with Schizophrenia behave more disorderly on full moon nights. Research shows that people with mental disorders are definitely showing more unruly behavior on the full moon nights. Many asylums put more caretakers on duty during the full moon phase.

Epilepsy and seizures have more probability of occurring. While some find these studies still unbelievable, there are cases where surgeons refuse to operate on full moon to minimize the chances of blood loss due to lesser blood clotting and subsequent death. In Spain, a statistical correlation has been been found between bleeding and full moon.

If this was not surprising enough, it has also shown to affect voting behavior. Guy Cramer who is the President of United Dynamics Corp, a foremost the aerospace science company has said that in US 2000 Presidential Election, the full Moon has predisposed voter behavior.

In India, studies have shown similar correlation statistics and the increased occurrence of crime has been called as human tidal waves. Many practitioners of Ashtanga Yoga are told to avoid practicing on full and new moons due to increased levels of energy leading to increasing probability of the body getting hurt.

Yoga lotus position silhouette against the full Moon

Is everything that bad? Not necessarily. The moon simply elevates what you already are. Full moon can be a great time to achieve more sales and greater success. New moon is the best time to increase your inner serenity and discover your subconscious mind. Be in touch with your body during these moon phases. We can utilize this energy like nature does. Plants grow during the full moon and ‘rest and contemplate’ during the new moons.

Harness this energy for yourself and create a happier and better life for yourself.

Credits: Wikipedia,,,,,,, Adrian Limani


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