GLP-1 drugs tied to weaker link between impulsivity and violence
Rutgers researchers found current users of drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy showed a weaker association between impulsive traits and violent behavior.
By Priya Raghavan · Science Reporter
3 min read
Adults taking GLP-1 medicines such as Ozempic and Wegovy showed a weaker connection between impulsivity and violent behavior in a Rutgers University study. The finding matters because the drugs, widely used for diabetes and weight loss, may have behavioral effects beyond appetite and metabolism, though the study does not prove they caused any reduction in violence.
The research was published June 17 in the journal Criminology and examined whether GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with violent criminal behavior among U.S. adults. Rutgers said the team focused on two factors often linked to violence: impulsive tendencies and alcohol use.
Researchers analyzed responses from a 2025 survey of 7,521 adults across the United States. Their primary analysis centered on 821 respondents who reported having used a GLP-1 medication at some point.
The team compared people currently taking the drugs with former users. Violent behavior was measured through a validated self-report tool that covered conduct including fighting, assault and robbery, according to Rutgers.
Daniel Semenza, lead author of the study and director of research at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at the Rutgers School of Public Health, said the clearest result was that impulsivity’s usual association with violent behavior was much weaker among current GLP-1 users than among former users. Semenza is also an associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health.
Across the broader survey group, Rutgers said higher impulsivity and heavier alcohol use were both strongly associated with violent behavior. Among current GLP-1 users, those links were less pronounced.
The researchers estimated that the association between impulsivity and violent behavior was about 62% weaker for current users compared with former users. The alcohol-related association was about 52% weaker among current users, although Rutgers said that result was less stable in additional sensitivity tests.
Christopher Thomas, a co-author and assistant professor at Rutgers University-Camden, said the pattern fits with the idea that the drugs may affect whether a person acts on an impulse rather than removing impulsivity itself. He compared that possible effect to the way cognitive behavioral therapy can interrupt the path between urge and action.
The authors cautioned that the study was observational and cross-sectional. That means it can identify associations at one point in time, but it cannot show that GLP-1 medications directly reduce violent behavior or violence risk.
Rutgers said more work is needed to test the relationship over time and under experimental conditions. The researchers said future studies should examine whether the medications lower violence risk and, if so, which biological or behavioral processes are involved.
The paper, “Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use and violent crime among US adults,” was written by Daniel C. Semenza and Christopher Thomas. It was published in Criminology with the DOI 10.1111/1745-9125.70058.
This story draws on original reporting from ScienceDaily.