The different facets of anhedonia and their associations with different psychopathologies

Abstract

Over the last several decades, there has been increasing interest in the role that anhedonia plays in various psychopathologies, ranging from mood disorders, to eating disorders, to psychotic disorders. The term ‘anhedonia’ (which simply means, without pleasure) has been used to describe a wide range of constructs, affective experiences, and events. Given the breadth of the term, it is likely that different aspects of anhedonia may be related to different psychopathologies in various ways. This review discusses how the literature has parsed anhedonia and how the various components and facets of anhedonia may relate to various psychopathological constructs. In addition, this review takes concepts and theories from the broad affective science literature and identifies additional components of anhedonia that may be critical to the field’s understanding of the construct. Given the importance that anhedonia plays in a multitude of psychopathological constructs, a careful analysis of the various components and facets of anhedonia may provide a conceptual framework for research in this area.