Full moon lunacy? Those stories are just superstitions

Full moon over Mount Pleasant, Jan. 20, 2008

Feeling a little crazy today? Yes, there's a full moon overhead, so try to control yourselves.

We know, for sure, that the moon controls tides, but is a full moon also responsible for increases in ... um, lunacy? Are there more suicides, assaults, visits to the emergency room, attacks by mad dogs during the full moon?

A 2005 article in Psychology Today notes,

"Everything from increases in violent crime and psychotic behavior to stock market fluctuations (Aha!) has been blamed on the effects of the fully illuminated moon. In 19th-century England, lawyers used the "guilty by reason of the full moon" defense to claim that their "lunatic" clients could not be held accountable for acting under the moon's influence."

Well, pshaw. Many scientific studies -- after examining the evidence -- declare conclusively that there's no such lunar or "Transylvania Effect" (even though a majority of mental health professionals believes otherwise).

Feel free to peruse the evidence assembled by Dr. Eric H. Chudler of the University of Washington in Seattle.

So, relax. Enjoy the spectacle produced when the sun, earth and moon are aligned just right in the heavens. As Wikipedia describes it: A full moon occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun, and when the three celestial bodies are aligned as closely as possible to a straight line.

And if you're still feeling crazy, blame it on something else.