I'm not sure whether (or to what degree) the moon plays a role in human behavior (I'm not a physiology major). However, we have all heard of the "Wolf Man". A lunatic whose abnormal behavior is triggered by the full moon. I'm often asked whether the gravity from the full moon could actually be producing measurable effects on the human body such as tides. My answer to that is a resounding - NO. Your mission is to provide a rational argument to support my position.
Ok, but maybe the full moon does affect human behavior somehow!!! I've been told by police and nurses that they have definitely seen an increase in abnormal behavior when the moon was full. Your job is to either confirm or contradict these claims based on actual scientific studies. Please report your findings (in your own words) and provide all your sources.
Let me start by saying that nearly all police, nurses & doctors (in emergency rooms), and other professionals which deal with public emergencies swear that there is a connection between human behavior and the moon. This is where the myth starts. It filters to the public and people believe it. In fact, they perpetuate the myth by observing abnormal behavior during a full moon and this reinforces the myth ... when, in fact, abnormal behavior happens every day.
Here are the facts
Tides can NOT be a cause, even though we are mostly made of water. Tides are caused because the pull of gravity on one side of the earth is stronger than the pull on the opposite side. This takes effect over long distances (the diameter of the earth is 8000 mile). For tides to effect you, you would have to consider the difference between the force of gravity at your head vs.. your feet. That just isn't enough distance to be significant. You may recall that tides will increase during times of a full moon (called spring tides). But the same effect is observed at a new moon .... and nobody found an increase in strange behavior there. Forget tides!
Maybe it has to do with the strength of gravity from the moon (different from tidal effects). No way! The gravitational pull of the moon is the strongest when it is at perigee (when it is closest to us and that does not normally occur when it is full). No matter, the gravitational pull from the sun is 179 times stronger on you than the gravitational pull from the moon.
There have been many, many studies on this, but I will only have you read one (if you wish).
Now before we leave this subject let me add a personal note. I do believe there is a connection between human behavior and the full moon. I know because it happened to me during the 1980's. You see, I took up jogging with my neighbor that decade. After work we would jog the neighborhood close to sunset. However, during times near a full moon, we would jog well after sunset because there was enough light to guide our way. I distinctly recall a man sitting on his porch saying to his wife "now there goes a bunch of lunatics". From that point on, I actually started believing there may be a connection. My thought was a burglar might also pick the same time to mask their identity yet give them enough light to see obstacles. Apparently crooks aren't that smart!!! Another interesting study concluded that our sleep patterns change with the lunar cycle ... especially at full moon which concluded we get about 20 minutes LESS sleep when the moon is full. Fascinating ... I thought! However, once again, a follow up study was unable to replicate the same results.