Using the experience sampling methodology to measure anhedonia and its correlates in mental health research: A systematic review
Abstract
Anhedonia is a lack or loss of pleasure in daily life. This is the first systematic review to investigate anhedonia in mental health research with a focus on experience sampling methodology (ESM). The review aimed to identify how anhedonia is conceptualized and measured in ESM research, how it is experienced during daily life, and the quality of reporting in the published literature. To generate a comprehensive picture of anhedonia, we also examined associations between time-invariant measures of anhedonia and other affective, cognitive, and behavioral processes assessed via ESM. We searched PsychARTICLES, MEDLINE, Psychology Databases, EMBASE, Web of Science Core Collection, and Europe PMC (last search 6th January 2025). We identified 113 relevant articles. Anhedonia was typically conceptualized as diminished pleasure, enjoyment, or liking, with emphasis on consummatory rather than anticipatory experiences. Anticipatory and consummatory anhedonia were present in samples that experienced different mental health conditions or symptoms (between-person) and varied across daily contexts and time (within-person). Daily life correlates of anhedonia included increased negative affect, decreased positive affect, affect prediction biases, and social processes. Most studies explored anhedonia in depression or psychotic disorders, although measurement was heterogeneous, and compliance with a reporting quality assessment tool for ESM studies was generally low. This review demonstrates…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study
- A new aging measure captures morbidity and mortality risk across diverse subpopulations from NHANES IV: A cohort study
- Fruit, vegetable, and legume intake, and cardiovascular disease and deaths in 18 countries (PURE): a prospective cohort study
- Are noise and air pollution related to the incidence of dementia? A cohort study in London, England
- Long COVID symptoms and duration in SARS-CoV-2 positive children — a nationwide cohort study
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.