Understanding anhedonia in schizophrenia through lexical analysis of natural speech
Abstract
Anhedonia is a negative prognostic indicator in schizophrenia. However, the underlying nature of this emotional deficit is unclear. Laboratory studies examining patients’ emotional reactions under controlled circumstances have failed to find evidence for a diminished hedonic response, instead finding that patients’ reactions to laboratory stimuli are characterised by high levels of negative emotion. The present study employed lexical analysis of natural speech in 52 patients and 49 non-patient controls while they discussed separate neutral, pleasant and unpleasant autobiographical memories. Patients with clinically rated anhedonia, versus other patients and controls, showed a dramatic increase in negative emotion expression when discussing pleasurable memories, but they showed no corresponding decrease in positive emotion. These findings provide further evidence that “anhedonia” is more reflective of negative emotional states than the absence of positive ones. These findings also raise questions about how positive and negative emotions can be simultaneously co-activated in patients with schizophrenia.
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People can experience mixed emotional feelings.
“Although there are many opinions about whether human beings can feel mixed emotions11–13, more and more evidence supports the fact that people can experience mixed emotional feelings10,13,17.”
From A Multimodal Dataset for Mixed Emotion Recognition (2024) · cites this paper as [13]
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Emotion deficits in people with schizophrenia
Kring, A. M., & Elis, O. (2013) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185538 · Cited by 318 · see citing works
A Multimodal Dataset for Mixed Emotion Recognition
Yang, P., Liu, N., Liu, X., Shu, Y., Ji, W., Ren, Z., Sheng, J., Yu, M., Yi, R., Zhang, D., et al. (2024) · Scientific Data · doi:10.1038/s41597-024-03676-4 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
- Authors
- Cohen, A. S., St-Hilaire, A., Aakre, J. M., & Docherty, N. M.
- Affiliations
- Louisiana State University (US)
- Kent State University
- Kent State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cohen, Alex S.
- ORCID
- Cohen, Alex S.
- Venue
- Cognition and Emotion
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2009-03-19
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 569-586
- ISSN
- 0269-9931 (ISSN-L)
- 1464-0600
- OpenAlex
- W1974469459
- Cited by
- 41
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cognition & Emotion (publishedVersion)
- Civil War Book Review (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
- Keywords
- anhedonia, schizophrenia, lexical analysis, natural speech, negative emotions, positive emotions, autobiographical memory, emotional expression
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