Anhedonia: Meaning, symptoms, causes, impact, and treatments

Reviewed by Susan Radzilowski, MSW, LMSW, ACSW

Written by

therapist.com team

Last updated: 04/22/2025

Share this article

Share article

Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on LinkedIn Share this article on Messenger Share this article in email Copy the link to this article Print this article

What is anhedonia?

Anhedonia is the reduced or lost ability to feel pleasure from normally enjoyable activities.

The term describes a struggle with many different aspects of reward processing.¹ This includes loss of interest in activities, lack of motivation or effort to pursue them, lessened feelings of anticipation before an experience, reduced pleasure during the activity itself, and diminished satisfaction afterward.

Anhedonia is most often discussed as a symptom of depression and other psychiatric disorders.² It’s known to occur in schizophrenia, substance use disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, eating disorders, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and neurodegenerative disorders.³

Types of anhedonia

There are two main types of anhedonia:⁴

1. Social anhedonia: Difficulty experiencing pleasure from social interactions, relationships, or activities involving other people.
2. Physical anhedonia: Difficulty experiencing pleasure from physical sensations like eating, touching, or sexual activities.

Experiencing pleasure happens in different stages: first anticipating an activity, then enjoying it in the moment. Anhedonia can affect either of these stages.

For example, some people might not look forward to enjoyable activities (appetitive pleasure) but still enjoy them when they happen (consummative pleasure). Others might have the opposite experience or struggle with both.

Anhedonia vs. apathy

Anhedonia and apathy are similar concepts that can be easily confused. While anhedonia relates to an inability to feel pleasure from activities, apathy is about a lack of motivation, interest, and emotional engagement with the world.⁵

Though both concepts could cause a person to stop pursuing certain activities, the underlying reasons differ. Someone with anhedonia still recognizes the value of activities but doesn’t experience joy from them. Someone with apathy shows emotional indifference toward the activities themselves.

For example, a person with anhedonia might understand that personal relationships are important but avoid socializing because it brings no pleasure. A person with apathy might not pursue relationships because they see little value in them.

Basically, anhedonia is about losing the ability to enjoy things, while apathy is about not caring enough to do them.

Can you experience anhedonia without depression?

Anhedonia is extremely common in depression, affecting approximately 70% of people diagnosed with it.⁶ But it can also occur in people without depression.

Some people with milder forms of depression (called subclinical depression) display anhedonia symptoms while not meeting the full criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD).⁷ They typically have trouble feeling positive emotions and tend to experience stronger negative emotional responses to situations.

Anhedonia symptoms

Symptoms can vary from person to person but generally include:

• Reduced interest in previously enjoyable activities⁸
• Difficulty planning and initiating activities
• Lack of enthusiasm or excitement about future events
• Trouble experiencing positive emotions during rewarding events
• Decreased ability to feel pleasure from eating, physical touch, or sex
• Social withdrawal and poor social functioning⁹
• Feelings of loneliness even when around others

It’s normal to occasionally lose interest in activities you once enjoyed. But frequent or widespread anhedonia could be a sign of something deeper.

A qualified mental health professional can help determine whether your symptoms point to a mental health condition that requires treatment.

Anhedonia causes

Anhedonia has a strong genetic component, with research showing that it could be very inheritable.

A large genetic study of over 300,000 people found evidence that the condition has strong links to both genetics and brain structure.¹⁰ This suggests that certain people are born with an increased vulnerability to anhedonia, as well as other mental health concerns.

Anhedonia’s impact on well-being

When someone has anhedonia, it affects many parts of their life.

Low mood: People with anhedonia experience fewer positive feelings in their everyday life.¹¹ While they might still react to certain positive experiences, their overall positive emotions are reduced.

Relationship struggles: When someone has social anhedonia, they tend to:¹²

• Enjoy social interactions less
• Lose interest in spending time with others
• Withdraw from social situations

While people with anhedonia may avoid social contact, they still experience loneliness. They still need human connection despite not enjoying it while it happens.

Treatment challenges: Anhedonia makes treating mental health conditions harder because it often doesn’t respond well. This may be because current treatments for depression often focus on reducing negative emotions and impacts more so than improving shortages in positive emotions.¹³

Sleep problems: It can interfere with sleep and other areas that affect quality of life.¹⁴

Self-harming and suicidal behaviors: Anhedonia is associated with a higher risk of suicide, especially in people with major depression.¹⁵ This could be due to its impact on interpersonal relationships or a number of other reasons.¹⁶

If you’re struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, help is available. For free, confidential 24/7 support, please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or text HOME to 741741.

Assessing anhedonia

It can be difficult to identify and measure anhedonia because it’s a subjective experience.¹⁷ However, there are some tools designed to measure it in clinical and research settings.

One common tool is the Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS). The 18-question survey measures how much pleasure people expect and experience from social and physical activities. It’s reliable and valid for both clinical and non-clinical groups.

Another widely used tool is the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS)—a 14-question survey that assesses anhedonia in social, physical, and recreational activities (especially in people with MDD).

While these measures can be helpful for professionals, they aren’t meant for self-diagnosis. If you have concerns about your mental or emotional well-being, it’s important to speak with a mental health professional. They can help you explore the causes of difficult emotions and identify if something deeper is at work.

Anhedonia treatment options

Traditional antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are typically first line treatments for depression.¹⁸ Unfortunately, they often provide limited, or in some cases no, relief from anhedonia specifically.

Newer approaches that show significant promise include:

• Ketamine, a rapid-acting general anesthetic that may provide relief from symptoms in treatment-resistant depression¹⁹
• Psilocybin, a psychedelic drug that may offer lasting benefits for up to three months after a single dose²⁰
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a mental health treatment that uses magnetic fields to stimulate the brain, has shown benefits in a pilot study²¹

While each of these treatments show promise, further research is needed.

Psychotherapy can also help treat anhedonia:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can effectively reduce anhedonia by stimulating the brain’s reward system to be more active²²
• Behavioral activation therapy significantly reduces anhedonia by boosting positive emotions²³
• Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to reduce anhedonia in some people struggling with chronic opioid use²⁴

How effective a treatment approach will be depends on the person. Visit our directory to find qualified therapists who specialize in diagnosing and treating depression and other mental health conditions.

Tips for managing anhedonia in everyday life

While professional assessment is important and recommended, there are several strategies you can use daily to help manage anhedonia:

• Practice mindfulness to better notice positive experiences when they occur
• Maintain social connections even when you don’t feel like it
• Establish a regular sleep schedule and daily routine
• Exercise regularly, such as by jogging or stretching²⁵
• Keep a journal to document even minor positive experiences
• Be patient with yourself and acknowledge small improvements
• Join support groups where others understand your experience
• Seek personal advice from a professional coach, mentor, or therapist, as it could change how you respond to negative events²⁶

Remember that recovery from anhedonia may be slow. Don’t hesitate to discuss treatment options with your primary care provider or a mental health professional.