The existing literature has hypothesized that anhedonics are unable to experience positive affect in anticipation, but possess an intact capability to experience positive consummatory affect (affect experienced during engagement in events). Affect in anticipation is composed of “forecasted affect” (the predicted affect to a future event) and “anticipatory affect” (the affect experienced during the anticipation of a future event). However, previous studies on anhedonia have reported inconsistent findings, partly owing to the obfuscated operationalization of these two affect types. In two samples of university students who were psychometrically identified as anhedonics, I examined the contents of these affect types using the circumplex model defined by valence and arousal. In Stud...[ Read more ]

The existing literature has hypothesized that anhedonics are unable to experience positive affect in anticipation, but possess an intact capability to experience positive consummatory affect (affect experienced during engagement in events). Affect in anticipation is composed of “forecasted affect” (the predicted affect to a future event) and “anticipatory affect” (the affect experienced during the anticipation of a future event). However, previous studies on anhedonia have reported inconsistent findings, partly owing to the obfuscated operationalization of these two affect types. In two samples of university students who were psychometrically identified as anhedonics, I examined the contents of these affect types using the circumplex model defined by valence and arousal. In Study 1, I relied on a questionnaire study to map out the relationships among forecasted affect, consummatory affect and trait motivation. The anhedonic and healthy controls reported similar forecasted affect (viz. pleasantly aroused affect), but the anhedonics exhibited weaker associations between forecasted affect and trait motivation than the healthy controls. In Study 2, I relied on an experiment to test the effect of anticipatory affect on behavioral motivation. As compared with the healthy controls, the anhedonics exhibited diminished arousal during the anticipation of positive events. Future research should further investigate the emotional and motivational underpinnings of anhedonia.