2004/07/01 by Roberto Olivardia, Harrison G. Pope, John J. Borowiecki +1 · 5 citations
Medicine · Psychology · #Biceps #Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies #Clinical psychology #Depression (economics) #Developmental psychology #Eating Disorders and Behaviors #Eating disorders #Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior #Medicine #Perfectionism (psychology) #Physical medicine and rehabilitation #Psychology #Self-esteem
paper · doi:10.1037/1524-9220.5.2.112
openalex publication_date 2004/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/10
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.