Steroid users are “cheaters” who use drugs to defy the limitations that nature has imposed. Breast enhancement via implants, sexual enhancement via Viagra, cognitive enhancement via Adderall are all about the American Dream of bigger boobs, better boners and brighter brains; bigger, better bodies assisted by steroids, however, are simply not on the American agenda.
“Of Course, It’s the Steroids!” (Here We Go Again…)
While working out recently in a local Gold’s Gym in Latham, New York, a man named Chad Brothers, 32, described as a “gentle giant” by his family, reportedly went berserk, toppling weight machines, throwing dumbbells, and assaulting a patron. After being Tasered numerous times by law enforcement officers and even allegedly taking a Taser from […]
Steroids + Narcotics = Fuzzy Math
Just when you thought social control agencies had run out of ways to demonize anabolic steroids, along comes a new study out of Stockholm, Sweden. Funded in part by grants from the intensely anti-steroid World Anti-Doping Agency (although the authors allege that “WADA had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and […]
Dissecting “Political” Science in Anabolic Steroid Research
Once there was a time when the hallmarks of science were objectivity and dispassionate analysis. Serious men of science were unmoved by the political winds of the day, searching instead for enduring truths. Findings and conclusions flowed naturally, free of manipulation, from the data. When it comes to anabolic steroids (AAS), that time is long […]
Muscle Profiling – Is Muscularity Evidence of a Crime?
Muscularity (mesomorphy) has a long-time alleged association with negative characteristics such as assertiveness or even criminality (e.g., Sheldon, 1942). The modern pursuit of muscle has also been demonized via allegations of association with undesirable behaviors; condemnations that seem destined to produce a more formal muscle profiling. Modern “muscle profiling” finds support from Harrison Pope, a […]
Anabolic Steroids and Aggression
The following is a brief synopsis of a talk given at the 115th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in San Francisco, CA on August 19, 2007. Existing research on substance use has had little impact on the public or researchers’ view of anabolic/androgenic steroids (AAS) and their effects. One reason is morality: […]
Chris Benoit Tragedy – Anabolic Steroids, Aggression and Violence
The following is an overview of the scientific literature on the relationship between anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and aggression. It is intended as a brief informational review without references to the larger literature from which it draws. A more in-depth review of these issues can be found in a series of articles on this topic I […]
Anabolic Steroids and Suicide – A Brief Review of the Evidence
Discussions of the potential role of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) in suicide surfaced recently when AAS and their use among professional athletes were blamed for several suicides of young adult males. These allegations inspired a congressional investigation and renewed anti-steroid rhetoric, but little dispassionate evaluation. The testimony of experts and grieving parents notwithstanding, the role of […]
An Introduction to the Adonis Complex (aka Bigorexia or Muscle Dysmorphia)
Is What You See What You’ve Got? I admit it – I am a Three Stooges fan. Maybe it is because they were on the television every day when I was growing up or maybe I am addicted to my own endogenous testosterone (see www.sophrony.com). Anyway, I watch them whenever I can and particularly enjoy […]
The Psychological Effects of Anabolic Steroids (Part 4)
A Conceptual Model and Concluding Remarks By now many of you might know more than you ever expected to about aggression in AAS users and the role of individual differences and cognitions in the psychological effects of AAS. You may never have realized that there was research on AAS’ psychological effects. And those of you […]