About this episode
<p><strong>Blaming our problems on the Moon is lunacy! Jessica Wynn illuminates the dark side of what we understand about our celestial neighbor on Skeptical Sunday.</strong></p><p>Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of <em>The Jordan Harbinger Show</em> where <strong>Jordan</strong> and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by writer and researcher <a href="https://jessicawynn.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Jessica Wynn</strong></a><strong>!</strong></p><p><strong>Full show notes and resources can be found here: </strong><a href="https://jordanharbinger.com/1320" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>jordanharbinger.com/1320</strong></a></p><p><strong>On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>The Moon is history's greatest scapegoat — blamed for madness, bad moods, crime, and chaos for millennia.</strong> But it's not the Moon driving the weirdness. It's priming and confirmation bias working in tandem: one loads the mental gun, the other pulls the trigger.</li><li><strong>Tides are real and genuinely impressive — the Moon pulls Earth's oceans into two massive bulges simultaneously, creating predictable highs and lows that surfers, sailors, and scientists all rely on.</strong> But "humans are 60% water" does not extend the logic. Tidal forces operate at planetary scale, not cellular.</li><li><strong>Lunar myths have proven remarkably adaptive.</strong> We replaced "the Moon causes lunacy" with "the Moon charges my crystals" — different language, same fundamental misfire. Pseudoscience doesn't disappear; it just rebrands to match the cultural moment.</li><li><strong>Large-scale studies across emergency rooms, psychiatric wards, police records, maternity wards, and veterinary clinics consistently find no lunar effect on behavior.</strong> When researchers control for variables properly, the Moon's behavioral influence vanishes entirely.</li><li><strong>The Moon's actual résumé is staggering enough without the mythology. It formed from a cataclysmic planetary collision, stabilized Earth's axial tilt, and made complex life possible — and understanding what it genuinely does is far more empowering than crediting it for your bad week.</strong></li><li><strong>Connect with Jordan</strong> on <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanHarbinger" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jordanharbinger" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/THEJORDANHARBINGERSHOW" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at <a href="mailto:jordan@jordanharbinger.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jordan@jordanharbinger.com</a> and let him know!</li><li><strong>Connect with Jessica Wynn</strong> at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iamjessicawynn/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> (and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/NeverMetJessicas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>!), and subscribe to her newsletters:<strong><em> </em></strong><a href="https://jessicawynn.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Between the Lines</em></strong></a><strong> and </strong><a href="https://storiesbywynn.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Where the Shadows Linger</em></strong></a><strong>!</strong></li></ul><p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1344999619?mt=2&ls=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here</strong></a><strong> — even one sentence helps! </strong></p><ul><li><strong>Sign up for </strong><a href="https://jordanharbinger.com/course" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Six-Minute Networking</strong></a><strong> — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at </strong><a href="https://jordanharbinger.com/course" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>jordanharbinger.com/course</strong></a><strong>!</strong></li><li><strong>Subscribe to our once-a-week </strong><a href="https://www.jordanharbinger.com/news/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Wee Bit Wiser</em></strong></a><strong> newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!</strong></li><li><strong>Do you even Reddit, bro? </strong><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/JordanHarbinger/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Join us at r/JordanHarbinger</strong></a><strong>!</strong></li></ul><p><strong>This Episode Is Brought To You By </strong><a href="https://www.jordanharbinger.com/deals/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Our Fine Sponsors</strong></a><strong>: </strong></p><ul><li><strong>Lufthansa Allegris: </strong><a href="https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/discover-lufthansa/allegris" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Go to Lufthansa.com and search for "Allegris" to learn more</strong></a></li><li><strong>Good Chop: </strong><a href="https://goodchop.com/podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>$50 off + free shipping on first order: goodchop.com/podcast, code 50JORDAN</strong></a></li><li><strong>Booking.com: </strong><a href="https://booking.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Book your getaway now with booking.com</strong></a></li><li><strong>Wayfair: </strong><a href="https://www.wayfair.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Start renovating: wayfair.com</strong></a></li><li><strong>The President's Daily Brief: </strong><a href="https://www.thefirsttv.com/pdb/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Listen here</strong></a><strong> or wherever you find fine podcasts!</strong></li></ul><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>