Don’t Blame Crimes on Moon
Crimes don’t really increase during a full moon.
A growing body of research doesn’t support the myth, ABC News reports. That’s the conclusion of Eric Chudler, a professor at the University of Washington who has read more than 100 research papers on the topic.
In a 1978 book, psychiatrist Arnold Lieber advanced the theory that the moon’s gravitational pull brings out the worst in criminals. He says he warned Miami police of expected trouble during full moons in early 1974.
“Sure enough, all hell broke loose,” he writes in an updated version of the book, called How the Moon Affects You: A Compelling and Controversial Book on the Awesome Power to Affect Your Emotions and the Way You Live.
What Lieber failed to say is that he issued two more warnings, and neither proved true, ABC News says.
Research “does not confirm that there is a change in the amount of violence, reported crimes or aggressive behavior during a full moon,” Chudler told the network.
