Medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 drugs, have become increasingly popular in recent years.
These medicines were originally developed to help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels.
Later, researchers discovered that the drugs could also help people lose weight by reducing appetite and helping them feel full for longer periods. Today, medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are prescribed to millions of people around the world for diabetes and obesity.
As scientists have studied these drugs more closely, they have begun to notice something surprising. The medicines may affect much more than blood sugar and body weight. A growing number of studies suggest that GLP-1 drugs may also influence behavior and decision-making.
Researchers have reported that some people taking these medications seem to have better impulse control and reduced cravings for alcohol and other substances. Scientists believe this may happen because the drugs interact with areas of the brain involved in reward, motivation, and stress responses.
A new study has now explored another unexpected possibility. The research suggests that GLP-1 medications may weaken the connection between certain risk factors and violent behavior. The study was published in the journal Criminology.
The researchers analyzed information from a nationally representative survey conducted in the United States in 2025. The study included 821 adults who had used GLP-1 medications at some point in their lives. The investigators were particularly interested in two well-known risk factors for violent crime: impulsivity and alcohol use.
Impulsivity refers to acting quickly without carefully considering the consequences. People who are highly impulsive may be more likely to make risky decisions, lose their temper, or react aggressively in stressful situations.
Alcohol use is also strongly linked to violence because drinking can reduce self-control, impair judgment, and increase aggressive responses in some individuals. Many previous studies have shown that both impulsivity and heavy alcohol use can increase the likelihood of violent behavior.
The researchers found that impulsivity and alcohol use were indeed associated with committing violent crimes. However, the relationship looked different among people who were currently using GLP-1 medications. Compared with former users, current users showed a much weaker connection between these risk factors and violent behavior.
In simple terms, even if a person taking a GLP-1 medication acted impulsively or consumed alcohol, the situation appeared less likely to escalate into violent criminal behavior.
Further analyses suggested that this pattern was especially clear for impulsivity. The findings related to alcohol use were somewhat less consistent but still suggested a possible protective effect.
Scientists are still trying to understand exactly how these drugs may influence behavior. One possibility is that GLP-1 medications affect brain circuits involved in reward and self-control.
The brain constantly balances impulses, emotions, and decision-making. If these medications help people regulate their urges and emotional reactions, they may also reduce the chance that certain situations develop into aggressive or violent actions.
The findings are particularly interesting because violence has many causes. Social experiences, mental health conditions, alcohol use, personality traits, economic stress, and environmental factors can all contribute to aggressive behavior.
No medication can completely prevent violence or eliminate these complex influences. However, the study raises the possibility that GLP-1 drugs may affect certain pathways that influence how people respond to impulses and stressful situations.
The researchers emphasize that the findings should be interpreted carefully. The study identified an association but cannot prove that the medications directly reduce violent behavior.
It is possible that people currently taking GLP-1 medications differ from former users in other ways that were not fully measured in the survey. Additional studies will be needed to understand whether the medications themselves are responsible for the observed differences.
The study’s corresponding author, Dr. Daniel C. Semenza of Rutgers University, said that as GLP-1 medications become increasingly common, understanding their broader effects on human behavior has become an important public health and criminology question.
In reviewing these findings, the study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that GLP-1 medications may influence the brain in ways that extend far beyond diabetes and weight management. The stronger findings related to impulsivity are especially noteworthy because difficulty controlling impulses is linked to many health and social problems.
Although it is far too early to consider these medications as tools for preventing violence, the results highlight how medications developed for one purpose may unexpectedly affect other aspects of human behavior.
Future research involving larger and longer studies will be needed to determine whether these effects are real, how they work, and which individuals may benefit most from them.
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Source: Rutgers University.
