Diminished positive affect in social anhedonia: linking anticipation and experience during dyadic interaction

Abstract Social anhedonia is a known risk factor for mental disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. Yet, it is unclear, whether social anhedonia actually encompasses diminished experience of pleasure during social interactions or an increased experience of negative affect. In this study, 100 young adults – in pairs – took part in dyadic, normatively pleasant interactions (i.e., 50 dyads). Preregistered hypothesis tests showed that people who scored higher on social anhedonia anticipated less positive affect at least a day before the social interaction and actually experienced less positive affect during the social interaction. Social anxiety, but not social anhedonia, was related to elevated negative affect. Furthermore, the diminished positive affect mediated between higher social anhedonia and proxy measures of diminished social motivation and volition obtained after the interaction. Our findings suggest that social anhedonia is specifically related to diminished positive affect for social interactions with downstream negative consequences for social motivation and volition.