Biceps and Body Image: The Relationship Between Muscularity and Self-Esteem, Depression, and Eating Disorder Symptoms.

TLDR

Muscle belittlement—believing one is less muscular than one actually is—has emerged as a key factor in men’s body dissatisfaction. The study evaluated body image and related psychological traits in 154 college men using a computerized Somatomorphic Matrix test that spanned a range of body fat and muscularity, alongside paper‑and‑pencil assessments of depression, eating disorder characteristics, self‑esteem, and performance‑enhancing substance use. Results indicate that contemporary American men experience significant body dissatisfaction, which is strongly linked to depression, eating pathology, performance‑enhancing substance use, and low self‑esteem.

Abstract

The present study examined body image and associated psychological traits in 154 college men. The comprehensive battery of measures included a novel computerized test of body image perception, the Somatomorphic Matrix, in which subjects could navigate through a range of body images, spanning a wide range of body fat and muscularity, to answer various questions posed by the computer. Subjects also completed paper-and-pencil instruments assessing depression, characteristics of eating disorders, self-esteem, and use of performance-enhancing substances. Findings suggest that contemporary American men display substantial body dissatisfaction and that this dissatisfaction is closely associated with depression, measures of eating pathology, use of performance-enhancing substances, and low self-esteem. Muscle belittlement, believing that one is less muscular than he is, presented as an important construct in the body dissatisfaction of men.