rb@ccird1.UUCP (Rex Ballard) (05/13/86)
Since the initial question was: Is there *ANYTHING* to biorythms, I thought it might be interesting to look at ANY possible explanation for ANY types of CYCLICAL patterns. Here are some basic ideas, see what you think. Initially, let's look at some of the shorter "cycles" that are generally quite accepted. The "digestive/sleep" cycle: Most people eat 3 meals/day, but these meals are not usually uniformly spaced. Also, these meals are not usually equal sizes. The average American for example, might eat a "danish and coffee" for breakfast, at say, 8:00 AM, a light lunch at noon, and a big dinner at 6:00 PM. So this person might "peak" at somewhere around 9:00 PM in terms of best general physical state, followed by a counter-reactive "dip" around midnight when they fall asleep. There are people who work other shifts who might have a totally different pattern, but look at the "Bulk" of people who work "Banker's hours". The "weekly" cycle: The majority of people work Monday through Friday, and have Saturday and Sunday as "weekends". Some people really abuse themselves on weekends, going to parties, staying up late, eating differently, going shopping,... Again, much of this "cycle" can be shifted, however, Sunday, due to early closings of stores, "blue laws", and restrictions on liquor sales, tends to be a "lull" day. Again, although you might get say, tuesday and wedsday off, as people in entertainment often do, the places you might "party" are less likely to be "Jammed" on those days. The "Bi-weekly" cycle: As I mentioned earlier, many people get paid on a "Bi-weekly" basis. Which usually means, that every two weeks, it's friday and they have a pocket full of money. Strangely enough, most companies bi-weekly cycles coincide with the full and new moon. Furthermore, payday weekend is when most people would be likely to go to the store and get fresh fruits, meats, and vegitables. Just prior to payday, they might have been eating "leftovers" for a few days. This change in eating habits might have a "synchronising" effect on other biological factors such as estrigen production. The "lunar" cycle: At one time, the full moon and the tides may have been a major factor in commerce, as this is when boats could get the best sailing/docking conditions. Perhaps this might still be a factor, with merchants stressing advertizing and such to reduce inventory warehousing costs of shipped goods. Why this would be any sort of factor in a city like Denver, which recieves all of it's supplies by air or land transport, I wouldn't know, but it might be a factor. The "monthly" cycle: The important factor here is that most people have uneven payments that are billed on a monthly basis. Typically, rent or mortgage payments are made on the first of the month, and "other minor bills" get paid the middle of the month. This can have a psychological effect on how people spend their money. The "minor bills" may add up to as much as the rent/mortgage, but the smaller increments tend to be viewed differently. Many debt counsellors reccommend some sort of plan where one large check equal to the "rent check" is distributed through a third party, just to overcome this "playcheck" thinking. "Synchronising": Those who get paid bi-weekly will frequently "syncronize" to the monthly cycle, treating two checks a year as "bonus" checks. Shifting bills and payments by two weeks. Assuming everybody split 50/50 on who "synched" to which cycle, you would have half going on sprees during the full moon during the summer, and half going on sprees during the winter. Appearantly, however, a larger number synch to the full moon/winter sprees, as there is generally a "winter blues" which starts in early September and seems to end around April. "Stretching": Most people consider the "full moon" anything up to 7 days before or after the actual event. Therefore, even people who "synch up" with "bi-monthly" payments might be "looney" a full week before or after the full moon. Has anybody noticed a difference in the emotional/mental stability of people paid bi-monthly rather than bi-weekly? Annual cycles and "astrology": There might be something to "astrology" in one respect. The focus of a "birthday" may have a strong effect, particularly at younger ages. Also, children learn particular ideas of "fun" around their third birthday. For a child born in the winter months, indoor activities such as reading, writing, and such might tend to have stronger appeal than outdoor activities such as sports, particularly since there is no reason to get "outdoor" items as "gifts". Conversely, a spring baby might find outdoor activities more enjoyable. Just to test this, do "Capricorns" in Southern Australia act more like "Geminis"? Do people there prefer to become "December Brides", or are the sociological effects of the Anglo-Saxon society still dominant? How about the aborigines? Spacing of Holidays: Many of the winter and spring holidays are syncronized with various celestial events. This again is an effect, rather than caused by such events. People of ancient times wanted to honor their "Gods" (celestial bodies), and planned events around these times. Perhaps this sets up a "rythm" which weakens during the summer months. Minor Cycles: I still don't know where the "Mental" and "Physical" cycles might come into play, unless they are "Re-Synched" to the ~30.5 day cycles of Julian months. Perhaps there is some sort of 3 day pattern with sync which leads to a "noisy" cycle, possibly more triangular than sinesoidal. If there really were such cycles, they would most likely be evident on particular days. For example, an intellectual peak on wedsday or thursday would quickly be nullified by the "weekend emotional binge". A four day cycle would tend to enhance the 28 day transform, is there any solid reason to believe it actually exists? Probably not. Final note: Most of this theory is based on the assumption of a 7 day week. Other societies have used other shorter and longer weeks. Perhaps other such weeks also have some merit?
ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac) (05/14/86)
In article <418@ccird1.UUCP>, rb@ccird1.UUCP (Rex Ballard) writes: > Annual cycles and "astrology": > There might be something to "astrology" in one respect. The focus > of a "birthday" may have a strong effect, particularly at younger > ages. Also, children learn particular ideas of "fun" around their > third birthday. For a child born in the winter months, indoor > activities such as reading, writing, and such might tend to have > stronger appeal than outdoor activities such as sports, particularly > since there is no reason to get "outdoor" items as "gifts". Conversely, > a spring baby might find outdoor activities more enjoyable. Just > to test this, do "Capricorns" in Southern Australia act more like > "Geminis"? Do people there prefer to become "December Brides", or > are the sociological effects of the Anglo-Saxon society still dominant? > How about the aborigines? > People have looked for such effects, using exactly the same rationale. Strangely enough (or maybe not) although this sounds reasonable I have never heard of any positive results along these lines. If someone managed to some up with some then they could apply the southern hemisphere test as you suggest. It can't be done until there are positive results for the northern hemisphere. -- "Ma, I've been to another Ethan Vishniac planet!" {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan ethan@astro.UTEXAS.EDU Department of Astronomy University of Texas
adm@cbneb.UUCP (05/21/86)
What you say about biorythms is logical enough, but it ain't about
biorythms. What I have read on the subject is limited to leafing
through books in bookstores, but it was enough to show that the
biorythm people believe it is all set AT BIRTH. They take the time
and date of your birth, and starting from there, superimpose several
sets of curves, looking for where peaks coincide, etc. This is so
silly it is transparent. For example, if you move to another state
that is one time-zone in either direction, you will change the time
you get up and go to bed, and this, quite obviously will affect your
biorythms, whatevever they are. Similarly, a day sick in bed, a day
of fasting or overeating, and numerous other changes must affect any
rythms your body has. But according the books, your rythms never
change.
Biorythms is more astrology than biology, and it is just another
example of wacky science, that is really wacky, but not really
science.
Dave Daulton
AT&T, Columbus