Muscle Fixation Linked To Sexual Problems Among Men, Boys

You have to love yourself before you can love others, the old saying goes.

That’s particularly true of boys and young men who are pathologically unhappy with the amount of muscle on their bodies, a new study says.

Boys and young men with muscle dysmorphia — dissatisfaction with their own muscularity — are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction and a range of other sexual problems, researchers report in the December issue of the journal Body Image.

“Muscle dysmorphia is often understood in terms of body dissatisfaction, compulsive exercise or the pursuit of muscularity, but our findings suggest that its impacts may extend into intimate and sexual experiences as well,” lead researcher Kyle Ganson, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, said in a news release.

For the new study, researchers analyzed data from more than 1,100 sexually active boys and men in Canada and the United States. They ranged in age from 15 to 35.

Participants were asked about symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, as well as whether they suffered from different types of sexual dysfunction.

Results showed that those who were dissatisfied with their appearance and uncomfortable with their own bodies were consistently more likely to have a range of sexual difficulties including:

• Anxiety during sex

• Lack of sexual interest or enjoyment

• Lack of arousal

• Difficulty reaching climax

• Physical pain during sex

• Difficulty getting or maintaining an erection

Feeling anxious during sex was most strongly linked to muscle dysmorphia, researchers said.

“One possible explanation is that intense body dissatisfaction and self-consciousness make it more difficult to be present and comfortable during sexual experiences,” Ganson said. “If someone is highly focused on how their body looks or worried about being seen by a partner, those thoughts may interfere with sexual interest, arousal, enjoyment and functioning.”

These results add to a growing pile of evidence that body image is closely connected with sexual well-being, researchers said. Discomfort with one’s body could make it more difficult to feel at ease or engaged during sex.

It’s also possible that some tactics used to pack on muscle — excessive exercise, restrictive eating or steroids — might also cause problems with sex, researchers added.

“Body image and sexual health are often treated as separate areas of health, but they may be deeply interconnected,” Ganson said. “For some boys and men, addressing distress about their bodies may also be important for understanding difficulties they are experiencing in their sexual lives.”

As such, doctors should be ready to discuss sex with men who have body image issues, he said.

“Sexual health should be part of the conversation when clinicians are assessing boys and men with significant muscle dysmorphia symptoms,” Ganson said.

More information

The International OCD Foundation has more on muscle dysmorphia.

SOURCE: University of Toronto, news release, Oct. 5, 2026