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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watrose.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watrose!rpjday
From: rpjday@watrose.UUCP (rpjday)
Newsgroups: net.sci
Subject: biorhythms, part the 2nd
Message-ID: <8024@watrose.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 2-May-86 08:13:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: watrose.8024
Posted: Fri May  2 08:13:13 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 3-May-86 18:06:01 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
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  Sorry about the extra posting, but I didn't get a chance to
read one of the latest postings pertaining to biorhythms, and I
think it deserves comments.  The excerpts in this posting are
from rb@ccird2.UUCP.

> Actually, there is more to it than is described in the "popular
> books".  There are several very small rythms involving such things
> as digestive system, circulatory, and glandular activity which 
> form the basis for biorythms.

  This has nothing to do with the popular notion of biorhythms,
which specifically deals with the previously-mentioned cycles of
23 days, 28 days, and so on, and cannot therefore be considered
supporting evidence.

> ... For example, the 28 day "Emotional
> cycle" is also the 28 day menstrual cycle in women.

  Is that so?  It is well known that womens' menstrual cycles are
only APPROXIMATELY 28 days, and this doesn't include women who are
involved in strenuous training for sports, whose periods may come
up to three MONTHS apart.

> For example, there's appearantly a 3 hour "sleep cycle", a 4 hour
> digestive cycle, a 12 hour neuron cycle, and about 20+ others,
> some as short as 1/60th of a second, some "sum of the cycles" run
> as high as 7 years.  In fact, life itself is much like the "hump"
> of a sine wave.

  Again, this has nothing to do with the publicized notion of biorhythms,
and just what do you get from summing various cycles, anyway?  It has
already been pointed out that, given two cycles whose durations, in days,
are relatively prime, you can solve a Diophantine equation, and come
up with cycles of any length whatsoever.  Dr. Fliess, not seeming to
understand this, was constantly surprised at how he could continue to
get different cycles from linear combinations of the cycles he had.

> Of course, not everybody's "Emotional cycle" is exactly 28 days,
> nor are any other of the "major cycles".

  Great.  Then why did you bring up the point?

> The one good thing about following a "biorythm" or even astrology,
> is that it helps you to "pace yourself".  If you consistantly
> push yourself to the limit all the time, you can overstress your
> system.  If on the other hand you work extra hard for a while,
> then work a lighter schedule, you can plan time for things like
> extra long days, followed by some shorter days for resting up.

  This is a perfectly reasonable idea, which has nothing whatsoever to
do with biorhythms.  (And how does astrology help you pace yourself?)

> Guess what, the pattern often corresponds with the "physical" cycle.

  Really?  News to me.  Any references?

> In some cities, police and fire department personnel are given
> rotation based on their biorythms. 

  If you make a statement like this, you should supply AT LEAST one
police or fire dept. that uses biorhythms, so that someone living in 
the area can phone up and verify this.  I would guess that,
if you called up any of these cities, they would violently deny
any such thing or, if pressed, admit it with a certain amount of
embarrassment.
  United Airlines once charted several thousand pilots for
their biorhythms, and found out there was no correspondence whatsoever,
so they lost interest in the area.  This did not stop people from
citing United as a corporation that used biorhythms, even though
United denies any use of biorhythms whatsoever.

> Furthermore, during the full
> moon, many people get very emotional in a bad way, therefore
> police, fire, mental health centers, and hospitals often increase
> staff starting the friday night of the full moon.

  (Again, which hospitals, which mental health centers, etc??)
Studies have shown that there is little correlation between
the full moon and violent crimes.  One of the reasons for this myth
is that people tend to remember bizarre events when there is a full moon,
and they don't notice them when it isn't a full moon.  
  It's also possible that there may be some correlation, but not the
way that you think.  If people believe that the full moon inspires
lunacy, they may be more prone to do stupid things when there is a
full moon (this is known as a "self-fulfilling prophecy").
  The Hawthorne effect was alluded to in a previous posting.
In effect, what may be happening is that people, knowing that they
are being assigned work based on their biorhythms, are simply being
extra-careful, which leads one to think that biorhythms are a good
indicator of competence.

> Lunacy is
> a "Statistical Reality" even if there is no obvious scientific
> reason for it.

  See above explanation.  One of the most frightening statements I see
in any newsgroup is of the form "I believe in XYZ, even though I know
there's no scientific basis for it".  If there's a correlation, there
must be a reason for it.  The reason, however, might surprise you.


					rpjday