Anhedonia refers to the inability to experience pleasure. In contrast to blunted affect, which refers to the lack of outward expression, Anhedonia is a lack of positive feelings. Anhedonia is associated with some mood and schizophrenic disorders.


Other definition:
Anhedonia refers to a negative mood state characterized by a person's lack of enjoyment in anything he/she does and a loss of interest in nearly all activities. Also, it refers to the loss of the capacity to experience pleasure and the inability to gain pleasure from normally pleasurable experiences. It is a core clinical feature of depression, schizophrenia, and some other mental illnesses.


Anhedonia refers to the loss of the capacity to experience pleasure. The inability to gain pleasure from normally pleasurable experiences. Anhedonia is a core clinical feature of depression, schizophrenia, and some other mental illnesses.

An anhedonic mother who usually finds joy to be with her children, will no longer find joy from playing with her children. An anhedonic teenager who loves playing the drums, feels no pleasure from having her/his own set of drums.

"Anhedonia" is derived from the Greek words "a" (without) "hedone" (pleasure, delight). Other words derived from "hedone" include hedonism (a philosophy that emphasizes pleasure as the main aim of life), hedonist (a pleasure-seeker), and hedonophobia (an excessive and persistent fear of pleasure).


Other /More definition:
Anhedonia refers to a loss of interest in or ability to experience pleasure from activities that most people find appealing. Moreover, it is the inability to experience pleasure, associated with some mood and schizophrenic disorders.

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