142 research outputs found
Social Anhedonia, Loneliness and Face Affect Recognition
No full textBackground: Loneliness (a subjective sense of disconnection with others) and social anhedonia (reduced pleasure from social environments and interactions) involve disruptions of, and pleasure from, social connection. It is possible that loneliness and social anhedonia can co-occur within the same individual. Both are associated with poor social functioning and processing of social cues, such as face emotions, yet few studies have considered both factors at the same time. Therefore, in our study we considered the relationships between loneliness, social anhedonia, face emotion recognition labelling and social functioning in young adults. We hypothesized loneliness would moderate the relationship between social anhedonia and (poor) face emotion recognition, but mediate the relationship between social anhedonia and social functioning.
Measures: Palmero faces data with upright faces. Revised Social Anhedonia Scale. Social Functioning Scale. UCLA - V3 Loneliness Scale. DASS-21.
Key Findings: Loneliness and social anhedonia were significantly, positive correlated, even controlling for negative affect. Contrary to predictions, neither loneliness nor social anhedonia were related to percentage accuracy for face emotion labelling. Loneliness only significantly moderated the relationship between social anhedonia and accuracy for labelling surprise. Finally, loneliness did not mediate the relationship between social anhedonia and social functioning
Auditory false perceptions are mediated by psychosis risk factors
No full textIntroduction. Auditory hallucinations exist in psychotic disorders as well as the general population. Proneness to hallucinations, as measured by positive schizotypy, predicts false perceptions during an auditory signal detection task (Barkus, Stirling, Hopkins, McKie, & Lewis, 2007). Our aim was to replicate this result and extend it by examining effects of age and sex, both important demographic predictors of psychosis.Method. A sample of 76 healthy volunteers split into 15-17 years (n = 46) and 19 years plus (n = 30) underwent a signal detection task designed to detect propensity towards false perceptions under ambiguous auditory conditions. Scores on the Unusual Experiences subscale (UE) of the O-LIFE schizotypy scale, IQ, and a measure of working memory were also assessed.Results. We replicated our initial finding (Barkus et al., 2007): High scores on positive schizotypy were associated with false perceptions. Younger participants who scored highly on positive schizotypy reported significantly more false perceptions compared to other groups (p = .04). Older participants who had had an imaginary friend reported more false perceptions during the signal detection task (p <. 01).Conclusions. Younger participants seem most vulnerable to the effects of positive schizotypal traits in terms of a signal detection deficit that underlies auditory hallucinations. Schizotypy may have greatest impact closer to the risk period for development of psychotic disorders.</p
Do Dark Triad Traits explain the association between Social Anhedonia and Relationship Behaviours?
No full textPeople with social anhedonia claim not to gain pleasure or reward from social interactions and social interactions are characterised by low positive affect (Barkus & Badcock, 2019). Within relationships, people with social anhedonia have less regard and report lower satisfaction (Tan et al., 2022); these effects are independent of attachment (Assaad & Lemay, 2018). Nevertheless, people with social anhedonia benefit from the positive mental health protections attributable to social connection (Tan et al., 2020).
It is possible that other personality traits such as the Dark Triad could explain the associations between social anhedonia and dysfunctional approaches to relationships. Expressions of Dark Triad Traits (Machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism, (Paulhus & Williams, 2002)) relate to preferences for short term and less committed relationships (Jonason et al., 2011). Those who express Dark Triad traits, have more desire for sexual variety, suggesting less interest in monogamous relationships, and inclination towards infidelity (Jonason et al., 2010; Jonason et al., 2009). Although Dark Triad traits in relationships have been studied previously, it is important to consolidate findings and add new factors which could test for more aspects of relationship behaviour.
Mate retention tactics are used in relationships to reduce probability of partner infidelity as well as deflection (Buss, 1988; Kiire, 2019). Mate retention tactics are separated into low risk and high risk: low risk tactics are more common in longer relationships whilst the high risk tactics often reduce the longevity of relationships and are related to insecurity (Kiire, 2019; Miner et al., 2009). It is possible that people with social anhedonia are more likely to engage in high risk mate retention tactics given their tendencies towards poor community and low value of social interactions. In addition, individuals who score highly on Dark Triad traits engage in high risk mate retention tactics, e.g. shouting, threatening infidelity and intersexual negative inducement (Jonason et al., 2010; Miner et al., 2009)
Social buffering and working memory
No full textThe adage “a problem shared is a problem halved” highlights the benefits of sharing a problem with others. While psychotherapy is centred on this principle (Messina et al., 2021), in people’s everyday lives there is evidence that sharing emotional experiences has positive benefits (Liu et al., 2021). This includes positive and negative experiences: share the pleasure of a happy event or the emotional weight associated with emotional distress (Tran et al., 2023; Williams et al., 2018). The sharing of emotions also facilitates the deepening of relationships; it evidences affiliative behaviours and interpersonal trust between the individuals concerned (Rimé et al., 2020). This can assist in deepening emotional closeness and improving positive emotions elicited between these individuals. Sharing emotions also increases perceptions of social support both from an instrumental and emotional perspective.
Benefits from the presence of others is not limited to emotional well-being. Affective working memory is one cognitive process which combines both cognitive and emotional components. Holding someone’s hand improves updating of working memory with negative images, particularly for people with high emotional closeness (Flores & Berenbaum, 2017). In the absence of handholding, people’s desire for closeness was associated with greater activation, when viewing negative social images, in brain regions engaged by self and social processing, somatosensory responses, and face emotion recognition (Flores et al., 2021). In a separate study, hand holding was most effective for those with high desire for social closeness at attenuating expressivity and subjective affect elicited by negative images (Flores & Berenbaum, 2012). These studies suggest that people’s desire for closeness and their interpersonal environment are both important for the positive benefits of sharing emotional experiences.
There are important traits which capture people’s preferences for their social environment. Desire for emotional closeness reflects the degree to which people wish to feel emotionally connected to others; it is associated with enhancements in positive affect and pleasure (Flores et al., 2018). There are, however, other characteristics which could interfere with or reduce desire for emotional closeness. The first is a trait called social anhedonia which reduces the experiences of pleasure or reward which people gain from social environments (Barkus & Badcock, 2019). State negative affect may also interfere with people’s capacity to correctly utilise their social support or even recognise that there is support open and available to them. Finally, since social sharing of emotions is an element of interpersonal regulation of emotions, it is likely that interpersonal regulation of emotions is an individual difference of interest in terms of its links to desire for emotional closeness and social anhedonia. In this two phase study, we will combine self report measures and a social emotional working memory task to explore the relationship between preference for social environment, the presence of a friend and affective working memory
Social Anhedonia, Intimate Relationship Commitment and social-emotional working memory.
No full textPeople with social anhedonia claim that they do not subjectively value nor gain reward from social relationships (Barkus & Badcock, 2019). However, there is evidence to suggest that those with social anheodnia benefit from social environment in terms of their mental health (Blanchard et al., 2011; Blanchard et al., 2001). Therefore, it is important to understand the factors which compromise initiation and engagement in intimate relationships for people who experience social anhedonia. Difficulties in reward processing are not the only processes compromised in people who express social anhedonia. People with social anhedonia also report difficulties in working memory processes, particularly when the material to be recalled has affective content (Gooding & Tallent, 2003). Working memory is essential for some relationship factors (Baker et al., 2020; Godfrey et al., 2020), consequently affective working memory may explain the link between social anhedonia and relationship factors. Here, we aim to understand how relationship factors, social anhedonia and social emotional (affective) working memory relate to one another. In order to help people with social anhedonia have more positive experiences in relationships, we need to gain an understanding of relationship factors which may help to increase the initiation of intimate relationships in those who express social anhedonia
Invited discussant comments during the UCL–Penn Global COVID Study webinar ‘How Do We Trust (Again): Paranoia and Mental Health’: part 1 of 2
No full textThe article provides commentary on Wong et al.’s investigation of the relationship between schizotypal traits, social mistrust and aggression, mental and physical health outcomes across three waves of data collection commencing in April 2020. The researchers aimed to consider the nature of the relationship between these variables and the stability of these relationships as coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions fluctuated over time. Their results suggested that loneliness reflects a hub which links the trait variables of schizotypal and social mistrust to aggression and mental and physical health symptoms. Their network did not vary by demographic factors nor wave of data collection, suggesting that stable individual differences were driving results. Their results propose that interventions which increase social connection could provide positive health benefits as well as decreasing aggression (via reductions in social mistrust). Their data contributes to understanding about how schizotypal traits link to outcomes under conditions of social stress
The relationship between dissociative experiences, fluctuations in executive functioning and emotional dysregulation.
No full textDissociative disorders often manifest as emotionally “checking out”, numbness or lengthy gaps in awareness (DSM-5; (APA, 2013; Černis, Freeman, et al., 2020). In non-patients, dissociative experiences may take the form of slips in attention during well practiced activities, such as losing awareness of surroundings while travelling a regular route to work. As dissociative symptoms become clinically significant, they interfere with functioning and increase distress (Nester et al., 2022).
Like dissociative experiences, non-clinical hallucinations or unusual perceptual experiences are experienced by approximately 25% of otherwise healthy people (Johns & van Os, 2001). Unusual perceptual experiences can be visual, auditory, olfactory, within the body or sensing another person, although the objective percept is absent (e.g. McGrath et al. (2015)). In healthy individuals, unusual perceptual experiences are linked to dissociation through poor emotional regulation (Černis et al., 2021) or emotional distress (Schlesselmann et al., 2022). Emotional disturbances may lead people to shift attention away from the external world, dedicating resources to managing emotional load instead. Sleep disturbances also play a role in increasing dissociative experiences in the general population (Nooripour et al., 2022). Reduced sleep limits people’s ability to manage day-to-day demands and fluctuations in mood; with these resources challenged, people may be more prone to experiencing dissociative phenomena. Therefore, generally factors which compromise emotion regulation may play a role in linking dissociative experiences with unusual perceptual experiences.
Certain lapses and shifts in attention are captured through mind wandering, with daydreaming as the best example. Daydreaming seems similar to dissociation since it involves shifting focus internally, reducing awareness of surroundings and time. Mind wandering reflects a break in executive functioning and awareness (Smallwood & Schooler, 2006), like elements of dissociation. Pulling in of attention, either internally or to narrow attention in an exclusive way externally, is known as absorption. Absorption is considered separable from mind wandering. Similar to dissociative experiences, sleep disturbance predicts mind wandering the following day (Cárdenas-Egúsquiza & Berntsen, 2022; Marcusson-Clavertz et al., 2019). Mind wandering is more common and can be more readily captured in healthy people over brief sections of time. Therefore, it can be used as a more readily accessible indicator of dissociative tendencies in the general population
The Effects of Anhedonia in Social Context
No full textPurpose of review: Anhedonia is a transdiagnostic symptom comprising reduced subjective reward or pleasure. Anhedonia influences subjective anticipation and in the moment experiences. This review draws together affective, learning and engagement evidence for anhedonia effecting subjective experiences of social environments.
Recent findings: While social engagement is diminished consistently, subjective appraisals of social contexts vary across different mental health disorders. Low positive affect during social experiences or stimuli is reported in PTSD, mood, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. Diminished neural reward networks underpin the anticipation of social experiences in ADHD, schizophrenia spectrum and autistic spectrum disorders. Multiple theories exist to explain how anhedonia might interfere with social environments.
Summary: Anhedonia is a barrier for engagement, motivation and enjoyment of social contexts. While many studies characterise experiences during social contexts, learning theories provide the most promise for developing targeted interventions
The psychobiological correlates of schizotypy in a student sample
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