What it’s Like to Lose “Joy” with Anhedonia and Depression

Depression changes how we think. It alters our reality. It makes it so that the way we see and process the world is different from the way that it was meant to be, and our emotions and thoughts may not be “real” in the sense that depression has changed them, and only by reducing depression can we fix it.

One example of this is anhedonia, a common symptom of depression.

The “Loss of Pleasure”

Most people are taught that depression is more like sadness. That is not exactly the case. While many people *are* sad when they have depression, that is neither the only symptom nor one that is necessary for a person to be depressed.

Another symptom is “anhedonia,” which translates to a the “inability to experience pleasure.” Those with anhedonia may or may not feel sad or down. But one thing they cannot feel is the experience of pleasure or joy, and may not be able to picture or imagine what the feeling was like.

Some people experience anhedonia when they’re sick with the flu. They simply cannot feel positive, uplifting, or enjoyable emotions. They can feel nothing – which some people describe as numbness – and they can feel other emotions like sadness, anger, or despair, but they cannot experience a feeling of pleasure from otherwise pleasurable activities.

When you cannot experience pleasure, it also becomes harder to do things that you would normally enjoy. Why watch movies, play video games, or go on dates with your partner if you can’t feel anything positive out of them? Why call a friend, play with your kids, or exercise when you’re unable to feel anything afterward?

Because anhedonia is one of many symptoms of depression, some people with anhedonia may also feel very sad, down, irritable, and negative. But what makes anhedonia unique is that you can experience it without those other symptoms. It is as though the feeling of pleasure no longer exists.

Anhedonia and Depression Are Treatable

Anhedonia is an example of a change in the way the brain works; an alteration in how it processes emotions and information. Anhedonia also becomes a self-sustaining challenge. Remember that, when you have anhedonia, it becomes difficult to imagine or remember what good feelings feel like. This can cause people to feel like the world is a negative place – a place without joy or pleasure.

But anhedonia is just one of many symptoms of depression, and if you start addressing your depression, the anhedonia begins to go away as well and the feelings of pleasure return. If this sounds like an experience that you’re struggling with, it always helps to reach out to a therapist to address these issues and help you begin not only addressing your depression, but helping you truly feel positive emotions again.