Probably, all of us from time to time have dreams with strange fantastic plots, which, at first glance, cannot be just a "processing" of the impressions received in reality …
Recently, a group of researchers from the University of Hertfordshire led by Richard Wiseman came to the conclusion that the themes of our dreams are directly dependent on the phases of the moon.
Remember from Bulgakov: “He cannot cope with this spring full moon. As soon as it begins to approach, as soon as it begins to grow and fill with a golden luminary, which once hung above two five-candlesticks, Ivan Nikolaevich becomes restless, nervous, loses his appetite and sleep, waits until the moon ripens."
As you know, in the spring, on a full moon night, this character of The Master and Margarita saw in a dream the execution of Christ, as well as Pontius Pilate “in a white cloak with a bloody lining”. And there is nothing mysterious here: it is on such nights that people most often have strange and beautiful dreams, according to Professor Weisman and his colleagues …
They came to this conclusion based on observations of a group of 1000 volunteers who fell asleep in the laboratory for a certain period, tried to remember the content of their dreams, and then told the researchers about them.
Wiseman wanted to test how certain factors, such as the time of year or the day of the week, could influence the content of dreams. In addition, during sleep, he played various sounds to the subjects … However, he was unable to identify any other regularities, except for the dependence of dream plots on the lunar phases. It was during the full moon period that dreams became especially vivid, fantastic and colorful.
“For example, someone may dream that he is flying on a dragon, and then gets off it and goes to drink coffee with George Clooney,” comments Wiseman. - Someone saw himself in a dream as a superhero, like Batman or Superman … But this happened only during the full moon, and at normal times the content of the dream was absolutely everyday. Well, kind of like a person saw himself in the office, working at a computer."
Promotional video:
By the way, last year, Swedish scientists conducted a study that showed that on a full moon, we need more time to fall asleep. In addition, on such nights we sleep less noisy and 20 minutes less than usual …
For a long time, scientists have been arguing about whether the Moon affects the physical and psychological state of people. The fact is that at the time of the full moon, the satellite of the Earth is at the maximum distance from the Sun. Since the speed of its movement at the same time becomes minimal, metabolic processes in the body of living beings slow down, and we feel tension. This is fraught with vascular problems and psychopathic disorders. Some people experience excitement and aggression during the full moon period …
Several years ago, English psychiatrists conducting research in a maximum security prison discovered that it was during the full moon days that violent outbreaks occurred among prisoners. The number of quarrels and crimes also increases, maniacs become more active …
At the same time, it is on the full moon that a person's creative activity increases many times over. American researcher John Whitecroft also found that more trade deals were being made at this time. But, according to the ancient Chinese, the new moon and full moon are an unfavorable period for making love and starting serious romances.
On the new moon, men become less sociable, but the full moon has a strong effect on women, leading to sudden mood swings … Although sexual energy, on the contrary, increases, and the fair sex runs the risk of being seduced by some Don Juan …
Astrologers associate their predictions with the lunar cycles: they advise on which days of the lunar month it is better to marry, conceive children, start a business, plant or harvest a crop, get a haircut, shop … These recommendations are related to the calculation of our life biorhythms, which are in accordance with lunar phases.
However, University of Saskuchewan scientist Ivan Kelly believes that this is nothing more than a bike. After analyzing the data collected by him, as well as hundreds of other people's scientific works, the researcher did not find any reliable evidence of the negative impact of the full moon. Some sources claimed that according to statistics, these days the number of attacks by predators on people, as well as violence and crime, is increasing.
Others, on the contrary, cited statistics showing that the number of such facts on the full moon does not change or decreases sharply. But now, it turns out, there is also a connection with dreams …