Biorhythm
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A biorhythm (or biological rhythm) is a hypothetical cyclic pattern of alterations in physiology, emotions, and/or intellect. "Bio" pertains to life and "rhythm" pertains to the flow with regular movement.
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The basic theory
The theory of biorhythms claims one's lifecycle is affected by rhythmic cycles and makes approximate predictions of cycles of physical, mental and emotional characteristics. A rhythm or a cycle is a characteristic that is periodically repeated in a predictable and measurable way. Biorhythmics is composed of forecasting the synchronized rhythm by division into equal parts by time in one's life cycle. These inherent rhythms are said to control or initiate various biological processes and are classically composed of three cyclic rhythms that are said to govern human behaviour and the innate periodicity in natural cyclical physiological change. In its simplest general form, the theory states that from birth to death every human is governed by internal biophysical cycles: the physical, the emotional, and the intellectual. Others state there are more rhythms than the basic three. Some proponents think that biorythyms are related to bioelectricity and its interaction in the body.
Basic rhythms include certain facets of physiological cycles, though it may include others and the details may vary pending the specific source. The three classical cycles of biorhythms are endogenous infradian rhythms.
Basic rhythm details:
- Physical cycle (lasts 23 days)
- - coordination
- - strength
- - well-being
- Emotional cycle (lasts 28 days)
- - creativity
- - sensitivity
- - mood
- - perception
- - awareness
- Intellectual cycle (lasts 33 days)
- - alertness
- - analytical functioning
- - logical analysis
- - memory or recall
- - communication
The theory's basis lies in physiological and emotional cycles. They are represented as a symmetrical or asymmetrical (though most theories rely on a symmetrical form). The most commonly used form is the sinusoidal one. This is said to be a graphical approximate representation of the bioelectric activity. The cycle flow of bioelectric activity undergoes periodic reverses in direction. A waveform is just a visual representation of the cycle's forecast. Each cycles oscillates between a positive phase [0%..100%] and a negative phase [-100%..0%], during which bioelectric activity strengthens and weakens. The waveforms start, in most theories, at the neutral baseline (0%) at the time of birth of each individual. The purpose of biorhythms is to enable the approximate calculation of critical days for performing or avoiding various activities.
The classical definition (derivatives of the original theory exist) states that one's birth is an unfavorable circumstantial event, as is the day about 58 years later when the three cycles are again synchronised at their minimum values. According to the classical definition, the theory is assumed to apply only to humans. In the classical theory, the value of each cycle can be calculated at any given time in the life of an individual, and there are web sites that do exactly that.
Related terminology
- Biorhythmics is either a branch of science or a pseudoscience, depending on opinion, that studies biorhythms or deal with biorhythms. Biorhythmic study focuses on physiological, emotional, and intellectual processes and its forecasting. Biorhythm phenomena are observable human conditions which can be detailed and explained by biorhythmics. These conditions are bound by the variables that exist in the body. Certain facets of biorhythmics are likened by proponents to concepts found in weather forecasting (commonly known as meteorology).
- Chronobiology is a branch of biology that studies rhythms in living beings. Other than biorhythms, its status as a science is unquestioned.
Biological rhythm cycles
- Infradian are biological rhythms composed of long-term cycles (lasting several days).
- Circadian are the biological rhythms having a period of 24 hours (lasting a day).
- Ultradian are the biological rhythms having extremely short cycles (lasting less than 24 hours).
- Exogenous are cycles influenced by external factors.
- Endogenous are cycles not influenced by external changes.
- Circatrigintan are cycles that recur every month (around 25-35 days).
- Circavigintan are cycles that recur triweekly (around 17-23 days).
- Circadiseptan are cyles that occur biweeklly (around 12-17 days).
- Circannual are cycles that recur every year (around 365 days).
Plausibility
Proponents of biorhythmics call it an established interdisciplinary area of scientific endeavor, which is still speculative in many facets. Biorhythms are based upon numerological associations and elementary math. Biorhythmics' plausibility is contested by mathematicians, biologists and other scientists.
Biorhythms have echoes of chronobiology, the study of circadian and other rhythms. Through medical research, doctors have found that there are periodicity and rhythms during a person's lifespan, although few doctors believe they correspond to those described as "biorhythms". Biochronometry has shown that rhythm and cycles such as the circadian (from the Latin circa and dia; literally, "about a day") exist. These discoveries, among others, have shown that people are affected by physiological, emotional and intellectual rhythms (thouigh the exact relationships to the biorhythm cycles are not precisely understood). Studies in this (some say, self-described) protoscience are still being done regarding the effects of biorhythm on the human condition.
The theory is often treated as falsely claiming scientific validity. Biorhythm critic responses range from opposing it as harmful through ignoring it to accepting it as entertainment. Some biorhythm critics raise one or more of the following criticisms for the various theories that fall under the category of Biorhythmics:
- Arbitrary assumption of sinusoidal cycles,
- Arbitrary assumption of a neutral baseline,
- Arbitrary choice of the periods of 23, 28, and 33 days,
- Reliance on anecdotes,
- Arguments based on ignorance of number theory,
- Basic mistakes in setup of tests of the hypothesis,
- Inadequate quantitative generalizations of complex human behavior,
- Non-precise formulations of existing theories,
- Peer review failures of experimental data,
- Replication failures, and
- Some unscrupulous practitioners' resemblance to professional fortune-telling fraud artists
Application
In the workplace, railroads and airlines have experimented the most with biorhythms. A pilot describes (http://godscopilot.com/_life-story-16a_CD.htm) the Japanese and American attitudes towards biorhythms. He acknowledges, researching his pilot logbook, that his greatest errors of judgment occurred during critical days, but concludes that an awareness of one's critical days and paying extra attention is sufficient to ensure safety. A former United Airlines pilot and user of the Biorhythms for Windows (http://www.halloran.com/biorhytm.htm) program confirms that United Airlines used biorhythms until the mid-1990s, while Nippon Express air freight still uses biorhythms.
History
The classical theory originated at the turn of the 19th century, between 1897 and 1902, from observational research.
Dr. Hermann Swoboda (Professor of Psychology, University of Vienna), who was researching periodic variations in fevers, looked into the possibility of a rhythmic change in mood and health. He collected data on reaction to pain, outbreak of fevers, illnesses, asthma, heart attacks, and recurrent dreams. He concluded that there was a 23-day physical cycle and a 28-day emotional cycle.
Dr. Wilhelm Fliess (nose and throat specialist; reportedly a numerologist) independently was researching the occurrences of fevers, recurrent illnesses and deaths in his patients. He too came to the conclusion that there was a 23 and a 28-day rhythm. Fliess's theories were of great interest and importance to Sigmund Freud during his early work in developing his psychoanalytic concepts.
Alfred Teltscher (professor of engineering; University of Innsbruck, Austria) observed that his students' good days and bad days followed a rhythmic pattern of 33 days. Teltscher found that the brain's ability to absorb, mental ability, and alertness ran in 33 day cycles. Dr. Rexford Hersey (psychologist; Pennsylvania, America) in the 1920s reportedly made contributions to the classical theory also.
These three biorhythms compose the classical theory. The classical theory has been studied, especially in Germany, Japan, and the United States, with conflicting results. Various modern derivatives exist of the classical theory.
In the 1980s Jacyntha Crawley invented the Biorhythm Wheel (with the help of a British Government Design Council Design Initiative Award). These can be seen on www.jacynthacrawley.com where over 500 research publications and various research projects are also listed. For those studying the subjects this is an excellent international site.
Patents
- Template:US patent - Bioclock calculating device for human body
- Template:US patent - Apparatus for measuring the actual psychophysiological condition
- Template:US patent - Biorhythms analog computer-calendar
- Template:US patent - Apparatus and method of determining fertility status
- Template:US patent - Biorhythm computer
- Template:US patent - Electronic calculator for determining biorhythm data
See Also
- Astrology
- Bioelectricity
- Chronobiology
- Fortune-telling
- List of alternative, speculative and disputed theories
- List of protosciences
- New Age
- Protoscience
- Pseudoscience
External links, references, and resources
General
- Circadian Rhythms Hub (http://www.knowdeep.org/circadian/). Reviewed and categorized links.
- U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, "Biological Rhythms: Implications for the Worker (http://www.wws.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/byteserv.prl/~ota/disk1/1991/9108_n.html)". U.S. Government Printing Office, September 1991. Washington, DC. OTA-BA-463. NTIS PB92-117589
- Hastings, Michael, "The brain, circadian rhythms, and clock genes (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/317/7174/1704)". Clinical review. BMJ 1998;317:1704-1707 19 December.
- "Biorhythms & Group Dynamics (http://www.northcrossing.com/Biorythm.htm)". The North Crossing.
- Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms (http://www.websciences.org/sltbr/). Not-for-profit international organization (founded 1988)
- Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (http://www.srbr.org/) (founded 1987) : publishes the Journal of Biological Rhythms (http://www.sagepub.com/journal.aspx?pid=183) ( ISSN 0748-7304 )
- Dr. Shigekazu Higuchi, Dr. Yuko Tsunetsugu, Ms. Fumiko Ishikawa, Dr. Mikiko Ashikari, "Interdisciplinary Symposium on 'Human Beings and Environments': Approaches from Biological Anthropology, Social Anthropology and Developmental Psychology (http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/cujif/abstract/020825.htm)". Sunday, 25th August, 2002.
- Cognitive & Biological Psychology (http://www.psyc.sfu.ca/index.php?topic=cogbio). Simon Fraser University.
- Ebert, D., K.P. Ebmeier, T. Rechlin, and W.P. Kaschka, "Biological Rhythms and Behavior", Advances in Biological Psychiatry. ISSN 0378-7354
- "Biological Rhythms and Human Adaptation to the Environment". US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (AMRMC), US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.
- Field, Moffett. "Biorhythm experiment management plan", NASA, Ames Research Center. 1983.
Books
- Hodgkins, Zerrin "Biomatch Z" (1998) ISBN 0-9531983-0-8
- Thommen, George S., "Is This Your Day" (1973) ISBN 0517007428
- Edlund, Matthew. "Psychological time and mental illness". 1987. ISBN 0898761220
- Lapointe, Fernand, "Biorythmie : comment prâevoir vos bons et mauvais jours". ISBN 0885660293
- Roche, James, "Biorhythms at your fingertips". ISBN 0713715626
- Bartel, Pauline C., "Biorhythm : discovering your natural ups and downs", An Impact book. ISBN 0531013553
- Bentley, Evie, "Awareness : biorhythms, sleep, and dreaming". ISBN 0415188725
- Evans, James R., (ed.) and Manfred Clynes (ed.), "Rhythm in psychological, linguistic, and musical processes". ISBN 0398052352
- Crawley, Jacyntha, The Biorhythm Kit, ISBN 1-85906-032-3 published by the London Biorhythm Company Limited. www,londonbirhythms.com
- Crawley, Jacyntha, The Biorhythm Kit. Tuttle Inc. ISBN 1-885203-33-0 available from www.jacynthacrawley.com
- Crawley, Jacyntha, ISBN in Australia and New Zealand: publisher Simon and Schuster: 7318-0562-3(available from www.kitherapies.com or www.jacyntha.com
- Der Schlussel zum Biorhythmus. ISBN 3-88034 898-7 Ontdek uw Biorithmen published by Kosmos) 902152989-0 available from www.londonbiorhythms.com On this site there is also an extensive Bibliography of over 250 books and publications on the subject the subject of biorhythms to help those undertaking biorhythm research.
Critics
- Gardner, Martin. "Science: Good, Bad and Bogus", Fliess, Freud, and Biorhythm. . CH. 11. Prometheus Books, Buffalo, N.Y. 1981. ISBN 0879755733
- Hines, Terence M., Reprinted from: Psychological Reports, August 1998, "A comprehensive review of biorhythm theory". thines@fsmail.pace.edu. Psychology Department, Pace University, 861, Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570-2799, U.S.A. or P.O. Box 629, Chappaqua, NY 10514-0629, USA.
- Skeptic's Dictionary entry (http://skepdic.com/biorhyth.html)
Calculators
- Biorhythm calculator (http://biorhythms.perbang.dk/) [Perbang.dk] (You can add this calculator to your own website)
- Biorhythm calculator (http://www.biomatch.com/biorhythms/free-biorhythms.asp) [Biomatch.com]
- Biorhythm calculator (http://www.krstarica.com/eng/biorhythm/) [Krstarica.com]
- Biorhythm calculator (http://www.gypsymagick.com/features/biorhythm/) [GypsyMagick.com] (Java applet)da:Biorytmer
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