Moon Mood by Sarah Stern

Scientific studies have shown that bipolar mood switches can sync with the phases of the lunar cycle under certain circumstances. Since I live with bipolar, I tracked my mood for 72 days and charted the switches with the phases of the moon. I found that I was more frequently anxious around the new moon and more frequently depressed around the full moon.

Moods are nonlinear and neither is this timeline. I was drawn to a spiral configuration because it allows the viewer to compare the cycles, but also keeps a continuous timeline along the spiral. As I created the spiral I learned that though we refer to a first and third quarter moon, lunar time is not neatly broken into quadrants. I show how the moon shifts slightly per cycle. Moods and moons require some subjectivity within the objective medium of data visualization.