GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are already known for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes. Research has also connected them to lower risks of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Now a new study suggests they may also reduce violent behavior in adults.
The study, published June 17, analyzed data from a 2025 survey of 7,521 adults in the United States. Researchers focused primarily on the 821 individuals who had ever used a GLP-1 drug. According to Healthline, they compared current GLP-1 users with former users and examined whether taking the medications changed the relationship between impulsivity, alcohol use, and violent behavior.
Violent behaviors were measured using a validated self-reporting offending scale that assessed assault, fighting, and robbery. The researchers found that higher levels of alcohol use and impulsivity were associated with violent behavior overall. However, those associations were weaker among people currently taking GLP-1 medications.
The association between impulsivity and violent behavior was about 62% weaker among current GLP-1 medication users compared with former users. That finding stood out as the most significant result of the study.
Lead study author Daniel Semenza, PhD, director of research at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and an associate professor at Rutgers University, was careful about drawing firm conclusions. "We can't say with certainty why these associations emerged in this paper," Semenza told Healthline. "However, growing research suggests that GLP-1 medications may influence things like reward processing and impulse control. One interpretation is that GLP-1 medications may weaken the extent to which established risk factors like impulsivity translate into harmful behavior. However, this is a hypothesis that requires further investigation," he said.
Semenza noted that the study was not designed to identify the biological mechanisms behind the relationship between GLP-1 use and violent behavior. The findings suggest possible mental health benefits beyond the already documented reductions in food cravings and alcohol use, but further research is needed to understand why the pattern exists.
Betul Hatipoglu, MD, a professor of medicine at CWRU School of Medicine who was not involved in the study, commented on what the findings do and do not show. "The strongest signal was the interaction between GLP-1 use and impulsivity, suggesting that the usual association between impulsivity and violent behavior was substantially attenuated among current GLP-1 users," she said. Hatipoglu also noted that the study does not show that GLP-1 receptor agonists directly reduce violent crime, but rather that among people taking the medications, the usual risk factors appear to carry less weight.
The study adds to a growing body of research on the psychological effects of GLP-1 drugs, a class of medications that has expanded rapidly in use over the past several years. Researchers have previously documented reductions in cravings for alcohol and other substances among users. The new findings raise questions about whether those same mechanisms might affect behavior more broadly, though scientists say much more investigation is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn.
