Biorhythms
Biorhythms are theoretical cycles that — according to a popular system of the early 20th century — would govern human vital functions: physical (23 days), emotional (28 days) and intellectual (33 days). Calculated from birth, they would supposedly indicate which days are favourable or critical for each area.
Origin and history
The theory of biorhythms was formulated by the Berlin physician Wilhelm Fliess at the end of the 19th century, friend and correspondent of Sigmund Freud. Fliess believed he had discovered fundamental cycles of 23 and 28 days governing human life. The theory was extended by the Austrian psychologist Hermann Swoboda and the Austrian engineer Alfred Teltscher, who added the intellectual cycle of 33 days. It enjoyed great popularity in the 1970s, with biorhythm calculators in newspapers and personal devices.
The scientific community has rejected the theory of biorhythms: the empirical studies done have not found correlations between the calculated cycles and the actual incidents (accidents, school performance, sports performance) attributed to them. It is currently considered pseudoscience. Despite this, the system continues to enjoy popularity in certain esoteric environments and has cultural value as a personal awareness tool — though without scientific backing of its predictive accuracy.
How they are calculated
It calculates the days elapsed since birth (using a date calculator) and that number is mapped onto each cycle. Physical cycle of 23 days: 11.5 days "high" (more vital energy, strength, resistance) followed by 11.5 "low" (less stamina, more fatigue). Emotional cycle of 28 days: 14 high days (more sensitivity, joy, creativity) and 14 low (more irritability, sadness, melancholy). Intellectual cycle of 33 days: 16.5 high (more clarity, memory, ability to study) and 16.5 low (less concentration).
The most relevant moments are the "critical days": when a cycle crosses zero changing from positive to negative or vice versa. According to the theory, these days have higher risk of accidents (physical), of emotional decisions (emotional), of mental errors (intellectual). When several cycles cross simultaneously, one would have a particularly delicate day. The graph of the three cycles drawn together forms three sinusoidal waves of different frequency.
Use as self-awareness
Without scientific evidence to support its predictive power, biorhythms can still serve as self-observation tool: like a daily horoscope, they invite you to be conscious of your body, your emotions and your mind on each day. Many users report that, at the very least, looking at their biorhythms makes them pay more attention to how they feel — and that itself can be useful. As long as it is taken with this perspective and not as exact predictive science, it is a harmless tool.
Also known as
- Biorhythm
- Vital cycles
- Bio-cycles