If it is true that violent crime is more frequent at certain times of the month, doesn’t that pro e her point? Far from it. Increased crime could be due to darker nights, the fact that many people expect others to act crazier, or any number of similar factors. Besides, direct studies of the alleged “lunar effect” have shown that it doesn’t occur (Dowling, 2005). Moonstruck criminals, influenced by “a bad moon rising,” are a fic-tion (Iosif & Ballon, 2005).