Certain mental health conditions like depression, and well as chronic stress, can make you lose interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy. This is known as anhedonia.
When you lose interest or feel numb toward something that previously gave you joy or pleasure, the feeling has a name: anhedonia. This symptom can be common with mental health conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, but it can also arise during a time of high stress. Anhedonia can feel discouraging, but treatment can help you manage it.
What Is Anhedonia?
Anhedonia means losing interest in or feeling no pleasure or joy during activities that you once enjoyed. It’s typical for your interests to change throughout life, but anhedonia takes the fun out of doing things you still love.
“It isn’t just about feeling sad or being unmotivated. Anhedonia is a disruption in the brain’s reward system, particularly involving dopamine, the chemical tied to pleasure, motivation, and connection,” says Sanam Hafeez, PhD, a neuropsychologist in New York City.
Anhedonia can cause these symptoms and feelings:
Emptiness or lack of feelings
Apathy
Numbness
Boredom
Negativity
Lack of energy or low motivation
Decreased libido
Sleep issues
Seclusion or isolation
What Causes Anhedonia?
Experts don’t know for sure what causes anhedonia, but they think it may arise from a problem with the brain’s pleasure center. This area of the brain usually creates and releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel good.
Anhedonia is a common symptom of various health conditions:
Chronic conditions aren’t the only potential cause of anhedonia, though. “In my clinical experience, prolonged emotional exhaustion, chronic stress, and persistent inflammation can also significantly impact the brain’s reward system, leading to anhedonia,” says Ritu Goel, MD, a psychiatrist in Long Beach, California.
How to Cope With Anhedonia
Although there’s no dedicated treatment for anhedonia, you can get help coping with its symptoms. Depending on your health history, your healthcare provider may recommend medications like antipsychotics or antidepressants. Or they may suggest psychotherapy (talk therapy) like cognitive behavioral therapy to help you regain joy and pleasure.
“When someone is dealing with anhedonia, healing doesn’t happen through willpower alone, it requires gentle, consistent steps that reengage the brain’s reward system,” says Dr. Hafeez.
Some strategies that can help include:
1. Try Behavioral Activation
Behavioral activation is the act of doing activities you love without expecting a pleasure response. “Even if you don’t feel like doing something enjoyable, like taking a walk, listening to music, or spending time with a friend, try doing it anyway,” says Hafeez. “The pleasure might not come right away, but these small actions can start to shift brain chemistry over time.”
2. Reconnect With Your Favorite Activities Slowly and Intentionally
You don’t have to jump back into all of your favorite activities all at once; in fact, it may work better to add them gradually, says Dr. Goel. “Patients often benefit from gently reintroducing themselves to activities they once enjoyed, even if the initial experience feels unrewarding,” she says.
Goel recommends starting with small, manageable steps to gradually retrain the brain to reconnect with pleasure. For example, if you used to love long walks, try a 5- to 10-minute stroll through your neighborhood and gradually increase that amount.
3. Try to Avoid Isolation
When you have anhedonia, it can be tempting to shut yourself away from people and feel like you have nothing to give. But too much of this can lead to social isolation and social anxiety disorder.
“Encouraging minimal social interaction can significantly support recovery. Human connection, even in small doses, helps rebuild emotional pathways and alleviate feelings of isolation,” says Goel. For instance, if going to a friend’s birthday party feels like too much, ask to meet them for a one-on-one chat over coffee another time. Just catching up for 15 minutes on the phone can help stave off isolation.
4. Be Kind to Yourself
Experiencing anhedonia does not mean you have a character flaw, or that you’re lazy, says Hafeez. “When joy feels flat, people often judge themselves harshly or withdraw further. Giving yourself permission to feel numb without blaming yourself is part of the process,” she says.
Also, don’t tell yourself that you should be feeling joy or pleasure in the activity you once loved. This can create shame when those feelings don’t match the thoughts you’re having, which can further intensify the symptoms of anhedonia.
5. Follow a Routine
Scheduling regular tasks throughout a day can help you feel a sense of achievement, which can grow into pleasure. Create a checklist to reward yourself for daily tasks like brushing your teeth, going for a walk, or eating breakfast every morning. Even if accomplishing those tasks seems mundane, each one can help you feel better and is worth celebrating.
“Daily routines and consistent schedules help with the lack of motivation and emotional numbness associated with anhedonia. Simple, predictable tasks can restore a sense of rhythm and stability,” says Goel.
6. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness — part of practices like meditation, body scanning, and deep breathing — can help you manage anhedonia. “Mindfulness and short meditation sessions help patients gradually rebuild their awareness and acceptance of their emotional states, enhancing their engagement with their experiences,” says Goel.
One small study found that mindfulness-based stress reduction helped anhedonia, especially when it came to social activities.
When to See a Doctor
If the things you once loved don’t give you joy or pleasure anymore, it’s important to let your healthcare provider know.
“It’s not something to brush off or wait out. Sometimes people assume it’s just stress or a rough patch, but when emotional numbness becomes the norm, it points to something deeper that deserves attention,” says Hafeez.
The earlier you address anhedonia, the easier it is to treat, says Goel.
The Takeaway
Anhedonia, the loss of joy or pleasure in activities that you once loved, often arises with mental health conditions like depression and schizophrenia, but it can also be caused by chronic stress or a brain injury.
Some ways to cope with anhedonia include following a routine to build a sense of accomplishment, spending time with loved ones, reconnecting slowly to activities you once loved, and practicing mindfulness.
If anhedonia persists, reach out to a healthcare provider, who can help you uncover the cause and design a treatment plan tailored to you.
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Mao J et al. Anhedonia and Its Intervention in Depressive Adults: New Developments Based on Research Domain Criteria (Rdoc) in Mental Illnesses. Stress and Brain. September 2021.
Wang X et al. A Narrative Review of Empirical Literature of Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression. Frontiers in Psychiatry. April 2022.
Treadway MT. Treating Motivational and Consummatory Aspects of Anhedonia. Focus. June 2023.
Mindfulness Exercises. Mayo Clinic. October 11, 2022.
Carlton CN et al. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Specifically Improves Social Anhedonia Among Adults with Chronic Stress. Affective Science. November 2021.
Chelsea Vinas is a licensed psychotherapist who has a decade of experience working with individuals, families, and couples living with anxiety, depression, trauma, and those experiencing life transitions.
She is a first-gen Latina currently working for Lyra Health, where she can help employees and their families stay emotionally healthy at work and at home.
Chelsea has varied experience in mental health, including working in national and international prisons, with children who have autism, and running her own private practice.
Abby McCoy is an experienced registered nurse who has worked with adults and pediatric patients encompassing trauma, orthopedics, home care, transplant, and case management. She is a married mother of four and loves the circus — that is her home! She has family all over the world, and loves to travel as much as possible.
McCoy has written for publications like Remedy Health Media, Sleepopolis, and Expectful. She is passionate about health education and loves using her experience and knowledge in her writing.
