Biorhythms
Biorhythms are a theory suggesting that human physiological and psychological states follow natural cycles that regulate various aspects of a person's life, including body functions, emotions, and mental performance. Developed in the late 19th century by Wilhelm Fliess and Hermann Swoboda, the theory outlines three primary cycles: a 23-day physical cycle, a 28-day emotional cycle, and a 33-day intellectual cycle. Each cycle is said to influence specific traits, such as physical strength, emotional temperament, and cognitive ability. Biorhythm proponents argue that understanding these cycles can help individuals optimize personal performance, make informed decisions, and better manage moods.
The theory gained popularity in the 1970s, and while it posits that individuals can prepare for both favorable and unfavorable days for specific activities, it has faced significant skepticism. Critics note that scientific evidence supporting biorhythms is often anecdotal and lacks rigorous validation, leading many to categorize it as a pseudoscience. Though individuals can calculate their biorhythms using online tools, the lack of robust scientific backing diminishes its acceptance in the medical and psychological communities. Overall, biorhythms represent an intriguing but controversial approach to understanding human behavior and performance.
Biorhythms
DEFINITION: The theory that natural cycles regulate a person’s body, mentation, and emotions.
PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USES: Physiological and psychological optimization
OTHER PROPOSED USES: Industrial safety, sports performance, understanding mood, making decisions
Overview
Biorhythm theory was conceived by Wilhelm Fliess, a German physician, and Hermann Swoboda, an Austrian psychologist, in the late nineteenth century. The two believed that basic human functions occur in periods of twenty-three and twenty-eight days. Associating the latter figure with the menstrual cycle, Fliess called the twenty-eight-day cycle female, or emotional, and the twenty-three-day cycle male, or physical. In the 1920s, Alfred Teltscher, an engineering professor, perceived a thirty-three-day intellectual cycle based on observations of his students’ performances.
Biorhythms did not claim wide popularity until the 1970s. Subsequently, additional cycles of thirty-eight, forty-three, and fifty-three days were proposed, as were cycles that combine two of the original three.
Mechanism of Action
Biorhythm proponents have not identified specific mechanisms that produce them. Each person’s biorhythms are said to begin at birth and remain regular afterward, although some proponents claim that arrhythmia can occur.
In classic three-cycle theory, the twenty-three-day physical cycle governs coordination, strength, endurance, sexual vigor, metabolism, and resistance to illness. The twenty-eight-day emotional cycle regulates temperament, nervous reactions, fantasy, and desires. The thirty-three-day intellectual cycle affects reasoning, alertness, judgment, memory, and sense of purpose.
The cycles fluctuate like a sine wave (a mathematical function) with positive and negative polarities. The nadir of a cycle’s negative polarity is called a critical (or transition) day because it is the least favorable day for an activity associated with the physiological or psychological states managed by a cycle; conversely, the acme of the positive polarity is the most favorable day for such an activity. A relatable example of an interruption in one's biorhythm is jet lag following a long flight.
Uses and Applications
Proponents insist that biorhythm cycles in themselves do not determine behavior because each person’s environment influences their expression. Instead, biorhythms enable a person to prepare for the best and worst times for any given activity. For instance, a person should not participate in a sport or have surgery on the critical day of the physical cycle, should avoid proposing marriage on the critical day of the emotional cycle, and should not take an examination on the critical day of the intellectual cycle. During the cycles’ positive polarities, these activities are more likely to turn out well. Biorhythm theory posits that it can predict performance, allow someone to understand their mood swings and emotional states, help an individual make important decisions, and improve self-awareness.
Scientific Evidence
Studies supporting biorhythm theory exist but fall short of scientific rigor because they depend upon anecdotal evidence, have statistical or mathematical flaws, or are based on subjective assumptions and ad hoc hypotheses. Many peer-reviewed studies and mathematical analyses demonstrate that the predictions of biorhythms are no more accurate than chance. Many label biorhythms a pseudoscience and believe it has no therapeutic value and cannot treat any medical conditions.
Choosing a Practitioner
People wanting to discover their own cycles can do so without the help of a practitioner. Online calculators and calendars are also available for this process.
Bibliography
"Biorhythm Calculator." Casio Computers, keisan.casio.com/exec/system/1340246447. Accessed 15 Aug. 2023.
"Circadian Rhythm Disorders: Symptoms, Treatment & Types." Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12115-circadian-rhythm-disorders. Accessed 6 Sept. 2024.
Gittelson, Bernard. Biorhythm: A Personal Science, 1997-1999. 10th ed., New York: Grand Central, 1996.
Hines, Terence. "Biorhythm Theory: A Critical Review." In Paranormal Borderlands of Science, edited by Kendrick Frazier. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1991.
Smith, Jonathan C. Critical Thinking: Pseudoscience and the Paranormal. 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2018.
West, Peter. Surf Your Biowaves: Use Your Biorhythms to Bring You Success. London: Quantum, 1999.