It’s Not Fatigue, It’s Something Deeper
Imagine this scenario: It’s a bright, sunny morning, and Anna decides to take her dog out for a walk like
usual. However, she feels herself not enjoying it as much. She goes home and decides to write a poem,
listen to music, talk to friends, or play your favorite game–typically things she loves to do–but nothing seems to stick. She chalks it up to ‘fatigue.’
The truth is, this is anhedonia, the inability to feel pleasure or joy from activities that you once enjoyed. About 10% to 15% of adolescents exhibit symptoms of anhedonia [1]. Letting anhedonia go on untreated can be a major concern, as research shows that 58% of adolescents who experience anhedonia go on to be diagnosed with a major depressive disorder later in life [2]. More troubling, among youth undergoing treatment for depression, anhedonia is uniquely tied to treatment resistance [3]. Finding a solution for anhedonia becomes challenging because the majority of people are not aware of it in the technical sense, and anhedonia is often masked under other parameters such as burnout, tiredness, etc.
Anhedonia can exist in two forms: physical and social. Physical anhedonia is when physical activities become unenjoyable, such as eating your favorite foods or listening to music, whereas social anhedonia is when one loses interest in talking to friends, spending time with family, etc. Anhedonia is particularly dangerous because it drains an individual of the happiness of daily life, as individuals may find themselves pulling away from social circles, hobbies, and interests. Research shows that anhedonia is primarily caused by an imbalance of dopamine, the hormone that controls reward and motivation.
Anhedonia is historically under-researched relative to its massive clinical impact. This is largely due to the fact that psychiatric research typically considered the inability to feel pleasure as a secondary or downstream feature of a low mood, rather than an independent target of study. Moreover, traditional antidepressants (SSRIs) primarily target the chemical serotonin, largely ignoring the dopaminergic reward pathways that govern pleasure and motivation. Ultimately, research also indicates that high stress is associated with anhedonia, as long periods of severe stress can drain your brain's reward system [4].
Although anhedonia may seem untreatable, there are multiple accessible methods to combat it today. Talking therapy can reduce negative thoughts and rebuild habits, while daily exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, or cycling, can immensely help, as regular elevated heart rates increase brain growth factors like BDNF, helping reset neural circuits linked to reward and motivation [5].
Although current research shows that nearly 32% of teens face extreme stress during the school year, leaving them susceptible to experiencing anhedonia, we should raise more awareness of this topic, understanding that it is not simply fatigue but something deeper.
References
1. Prabhakar, J., Nielson, D. M., & Stringaris, A. (2022). Origins of Anhedonia in Childhood and
Adolescence. Current topics in behavioral neurosciences, 58, 43–60.
2. Gupta, T., Eckstrand, K. L., & Forbes, E. E. (2024). Annual Research Review: Puberty and the
development of anhedonia - considering childhood adversity and inflammation. Journal of child psychology
and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 65(4), 459–480. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13955
3. McMakin, D. L., Olino, T. M., Porta, G., Dietz, L. J., Emslie, G., Clarke, G., Wagner, K. D., Asarnow,
J. R., Ryan, N. D., Birmaher, B., Shamseddeen, W., Mayes, T., Kennard, B., Spirito, A., Keller, M., Lynch,
F. L., Dickerson, J. F., & Brent, D. A. (2012). Anhedonia predicts poorer recovery among youth with
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment-resistant depression. Journal of the American Academy of
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(4), 404–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2012.01.011
5. https://baycrestfoundation.org/articles/brain-matters/boost-your-brain-health-with-aerobic-exercise-
how-movement-builds-mental-resilience/
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© 2026 Kaylyn K. | All rights reserved
Originally published at themedtales.com
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