The effects of triazolam on aggression in men.

To assess the effects of triazolam on human aggression, 46 male participants received either placebo or 0.25 mg triazolam using double-blind procedures. Approximately 60 min after drug ingestion, participants were given the opportunity to administer electric shocks to an increasingly provocative fictitious opponent during a competitive reaction time task. Aggression was defined as the level of shock the participant was willing to administer to the opponent. The results suggest that triazolam consumption was associated with increased levels of aggression. On average, participants who received triazolam set more intense levels of shock for the opponent, and selected the most extreme shock response available more frequently, than participants who received placebo. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)