Boston College

Muscle dysmorphia is a form of body dysmorphic disorder. It causes the individual to experience aversive emotions about their build and muscle appearance.

Muscle dysmorphia

With media depictions of men being protrayed as more and more muscular, one study decided to examine how/if this impacts men's body dissatisfaction, specifically muscle dysmorphia. It was found that this overrepresentation of muscled bodies in the media led to men being biased about their own and other men's bodies. They were more likely to judge average bodies as non-muscular the more they were exposed to images of muscled men in the media over time. This effect did not occur when judging obesity, this effect only happened with the perception of muscles. Increasing media images of muscled men have contributed to increasing muscle dysmorphia among men.

Muscle Dysmorphia Among Men

Reference for Muscle Dysmorphia Among Men

A study focusing on the psychiatric effects of anabolic steroids on male bodybuilders interviewed steroid users and non-steroid users. Nine of the subjects, two of whom were recovered anorexics, admitted to having a "reverse-anorexia" syndrome. They believed that they appeared small and weak when in reality they were large and muscular. This syndrome was only present among steroid users in the study. These men reported many adverse effects from reverse anorexia, including declining social invitations, wearing heavy/bulky clothes to appear larger, and refusing to be seen shirtless. Some of these men cited this syndrome as a reason why they continued to use steroids. This study highlighted how disorders of body image, including both anorexia and reverse anorexia, may occur frequently in males who lift weights often.

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