Is your spouse acting crazy due to the full moon?

Today marks the last full moon of the decade. It’s being referred to as the “Cold Moon” or “Long Night’s Moon,” in preparation for the true beginning of winter.

This saffron-tinted full moon reached its peak brilliance at 12:12 a.m. on Thursday, December 12th (12/12).

While the thing with the number 12 is a pretty neat coincidence, some people take the full moon quite seriously. They’re convinced the full moon influences human behavior.

So is this actually true? Is that why your husband is acting like such a freak?

Does the full moon actually elicit lunacy?

Urban legend says the full moon elicits lunacy — a word derived from the Latin word “luna,” meaning “moon.” Though many dismiss the correlation between moon cycles and human behavior out of hand, there is actually some science supporting it.

It is difficult to “completely disregard” the idea that the moon affects our behavior in some way, because, according to AccuWeather, “the tides on this Earth, the oceans, everything follows the moon’s gravitational pull.”

Thus, it is a fact that the gravitational pull of the moon affects the tides of the oceans. It is also a fact that the human body can be as much as 60% water. 

This is where science and astrology collide: “In the language of astrology, water is associated with emotions,” Elisabeth Grace, Consulting Astrologer, writer, and speaker tells us. “Thus, conventional astrological wisdom holds that emotions tend to rise after a first quarter moon, waxing to a crest on the full moon.”

The science behind the full moon’s power

A publication on the National Criminal Justice Reference Service titled Lunar Effect—Biological Tides and Human Emotions, set out to research the effects of the moon on human emotions, aggressive behavior, and crime rates.

The data analyses on human behavior revealed that the moon’s gravitational influence brings about disharmony and social tension, along with “bizarre results.”

Another study, which looked at data from Florida police records over a five-year period, revealed an increase in cases of aggravated assault and homicide around full moons.

Must be a full moon

So when you hear someone utter the phrase ‘must be a full moon,’ they’re not being facetious. “All creatures with blood running through their veins are affected by the moon in ways that may be more subtle than the dramatic movement of the tides,” says Milana Perepyolkina, healer and international bestselling author.

“The full moon symbolizes an opportunity for emotional [release],” concludes Grace. Maybe if your spouse is acting abnormally erratic, you can let them off the hook this one time. Consider it “surrendering to gravity” — and chalk it up to a lunar release.