Muscle dysmorphia is a mental health condition where a person perceives their body as weak and smaller than it actually is. It’s a form of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and recent research shows that social media could have a major influence on this condition.
Prevalence of muscle dysmorphia is not well understood, though it mostly affects men. Studies suggest between 1.7 percent and 2.4 percent of people may meet the criteria. In Canada, experts found that one in four of 2,000 adolescent participants in a study were at clinical risk of muscle dysmorphia.
“Overall, our findings emphasize that many young people are striving for muscularity, resulting in significant levels of distress, which counters popular narratives that only thinness-oriented body image concerns and behaviors are problematic,” study author Kyle Ganson, assistant professor at the University of Toronto, said in a statement.
