Alexithymia Test: Screen How Well You Identify and Describe Your Feelings
This alexithymia test screens for difficulty identifying and describing feelings, using questions adapted from the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Get an instant result and an emotional-processing breakdown.
Reviewed byMichael Callans, MSWAlexithymia Test is a free, confidential 20-question self-assessment, informed by the validated TAS-20. It takes about 7 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
Three sides of difficulty with feelings
Alexithymia is not a lack of emotion. It is difficulty noticing, naming, and putting words to your inner states. The TAS-20 framework captures this across three connected factors, so you see whether the trouble is in feeling, describing, or attending to emotions at all. This alexithymia questionnaire shows a total and which of the three factors your difficulty concentrates in.
Identifying feelings
Difficulty telling your emotions apart, and distinguishing feelings from the bodily sensations that come with them. This is the core factor of alexithymia. For example, you may notice tension without knowing whether it accompanies anger, fear, or sadness.
Describing feelings
Difficulty finding the words to express your emotions to other people, even when you sense something is there. This can differ from identifying a feeling privately: the difficulty may become clearest when someone asks you to explain it.
Externally-oriented thinking
A tendency to focus on outside facts and practicalities rather than inner experience, which keeps emotions out of view. A higher score describes your reported focus of attention; it does not measure how much you care about other people.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Based on the TAS-20 | Rarely | Yes, faithfully informed |
| Correct reverse scoring | Often wrong | Yes, handled internally |
| Three-factor breakdown | No | Yes, all three factors |
| Published cutoffs (61+ / 52-60 / 51-) | Rarely shown | Yes, explained clearly |
| Clinician-reviewed interpretation | Rarely | Yes, clinician reviewed |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–100 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–51 | No alexithymia | Your score is 51 or below, the range indicating no alexithymia. You generally have access to your emotions and can put words to them. |
| 52–60 | Possible or borderline alexithymia | Your score falls in the 52 to 60 range, which indicates possible or borderline alexithymia. Some difficulty with emotions is showing up. |
| 61–100 | Alexithymia likely present | Your score is 61 or above, the range indicating alexithymia is likely present. Connecting with and expressing emotions is genuinely hard for you. |
What alexithymia means
This alexithymia test explores difficulty recognizing and describing feelings, including the experience of sensing emotion without finding a name for it. The word alexithymia comes from Greek roots that translate roughly to no words for emotion. Psychiatrists introduced the term to describe patients who had genuine feelings and physical reactions but struggled to notice, name, or talk about what they were experiencing internally.
It is a personality trait, not a mental illness in its own right. Researchers understand it as a dimension everyone falls somewhere on, similar to the personality traits measured by tools like the Big Five, rather than a condition you either have or do not have.
Is the TAS-20 accurate
The TAS-20 is the most widely used and studied self-report measure of alexithymia, with a three-factor structure that has been replicated across many samples and languages since Bagby, Parker, and Taylor first validated it in 1994. In the original validation studies, the scale showed good internal consistency and held up well when people retook it weeks later, which is part of why it remains the standard research tool for this trait.
No self-report questionnaire is perfect. The TAS-20 asks you to reflect on your own emotional processing, which is inherently harder for people who struggle to notice their emotions in the first place. That is one reason this test, like the original scale, is described as a screening tool rather than a stand-alone diagnostic instrument.
Evidence for the original Toronto Alexithymia Scale does not automatically transfer to adapted wording. This page is TAS-20-informed, so its result should be read as a prompt for discussion. A clinician can ask about concrete situations, how you express feelings in different settings, and whether distress or communication difficulties affect your answers.
Alexithymia and other conditions
Alexithymia frequently overlaps with other experiences. It shows up more often in autistic adults, and the Autism Test (Adult) offers a separate screening perspective if you are exploring both, although questionnaire scores cannot determine whether either experience explains the other. It is also common alongside depression and PTSD, and a higher score here alongside low mood or trauma symptoms is worth exploring with the Depression Test or PTSD Test.
Alexithymia is also distinct from emotional intelligence, which includes skills like managing other people's emotions and social awareness, not just recognizing your own. The Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Test looks at that broader skill set if you want a fuller picture. If any of this feels like it is affecting your relationships or daily life, the Psychology.com therapist directory can help you find someone experienced in emotional awareness work.
What can I do if I cannot name my feelings?
Start with an ordinary recent situation rather than trying to summarize your whole emotional life. Write down what happened, what you noticed in your body, and what you wanted to do next. You can use the Feelings Wheel to look for a word that comes close. Leaving the label uncertain is acceptable; the exercise is an opportunity to observe your experience.
If talking feels difficult, consider bringing written examples to an appointment or asking for time to think before answering a question about feelings. Describe how the difficulty affects conversations, decisions, or asking for help. The Mental Health Tests hub offers related screenings when another concern needs attention. Physical symptoms that are new or worrying also deserve medical assessment rather than being attributed to unnamed emotions. If several of these traits overlap with attention, sensory, or learning differences, the neurodivergent test gives a broader first look before you choose a focused screen. To look at the skill side of reading and handling feelings, the emotional intelligence test profiles five EQ skills.
What is the TAS-20?
The TAS-20 is the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, a 20-item self-report measure developed by Bagby, Parker, and Taylor in 1994 and the most widely used research tool for this trait. It covers three factors: difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally oriented thinking. Each item is answered on a five-point scale scored 1 to 5, positively worded items are reverse-scored, and the total runs from 20 to 100. Published cutoffs place 51 or below in the lower range, 52 to 60 as possible or borderline, and 61 or above as likely alexithymia. The TAS-20 test on this page uses adapted wording, so its bands are discussion prompts rather than proof that the trait is present or absent. Naming your own feelings is one half of the picture; our emotion recognition test looks at the other, reading what someone else feels from their face, voice and posture. If putting feelings into words has been hard since childhood, the childhood emotional neglect test looks at the remembered support behind that pattern, separately from how you cope now. Naming a feeling is different from managing it; a short test of reappraisal and suppression shows which habit you lean on once the feeling has a name. If noticing the physical signals underneath a feeling is the hard part, the proprioception test screens interoception alongside your sense of body position.
Methodology & sources
The twenty statements are informed by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) developed by Bagby, Parker, and Taylor (1994), the most widely used measure of alexithymia in research. The adapted items address its three factors: difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally-oriented thinking. Each item is answered on a five-point agreement scale scored 1 to 5, and the items that are positively worded toward emotional awareness are reverse-scored so that a higher total always reflects more alexithymic traits. The total runs from 20 to 100.
This screening is provided for education and self-reflection. It uses the published TAS-20 cutoffs: a total of 51 or below falls in the lower range of reported alexithymic traits, 52 to 60 indicates possible or borderline alexithymia, and 61 or above indicates alexithymia is likely present. Alexithymia is a personality trait that exists on a spectrum and can accompany conditions like autism, depression, and post-traumatic stress, not a standalone diagnosis. The factor breakdown shows where any difficulty is concentrated.
The original validation paper evaluated reliability and factor structure in clinical and nonclinical samples. Those findings support the original research instrument, while this adaptation retains its general response format and emotional-processing domains. Its displayed bands are screening interpretations, not proof that a trait is present or absent. A lower total should not prevent someone from seeking support for a specific difficulty.
References
- Bagby RM, Parker JDA, Taylor GJ. The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, I: item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. J Psychosom Res. 1994;38(1):23-32.
- Bagby RM, Taylor GJ, Parker JDA. The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, II: convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity. J Psychosom Res. 1994;38(1):33-40.
- Taylor GJ, Bagby RM, Parker JDA. Disorders of Affect Regulation: Alexithymia in Medical and Psychiatric Illness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1997.
- Carnegie Mellon University. The Common Cold Project: Alexithymia, Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Instrument description, factor item counts, and psychometrics. cmu.edu/common-cold-project/measures-by-study/psychological-and-social-constructs/other-psychological-measures/alexithymia.html
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, October 18). Alexithymia Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/alexithymia
Alexithymia Test FAQ
What does alexithymia mean?
Alexithymia literally means no words for emotion. It describes difficulty noticing, naming, and describing your own feelings, even though the emotions and physical sensations are still there. It is a personality trait that exists on a spectrum, not a diagnosis or a lack of caring.
What is alexithymia?
Alexithymia is difficulty identifying and describing your own emotions, and a tendency to focus outward on facts rather than inner experience. It is a personality trait on a spectrum, not a mental illness, though it often accompanies other conditions. In everyday life, this might mean recognizing that a conversation upset you while struggling to tell whether you felt hurt, embarrassed, or angry.
What score suggests alexithymia?
On the TAS-20, a total of 51 or below falls in the lower range of reported traits, 52 to 60 indicates possible or borderline alexithymia, and 61 or above suggests alexithymia is likely present. These are the cutoffs used in research. On this adapted self-assessment, the bands are discussion prompts. A score cannot confirm or exclude a condition, and difficulties affecting daily life deserve attention at any score.
Is this a diagnosis?
No. It is for education and self-reflection only. Alexithymia is not a formal diagnosis on its own, and a clinician would assess it alongside your wider history. If your result resonates, it can be a useful thing to explore with a professional.
Is alexithymia the same as not having feelings?
No. People with alexithymia usually do have emotions and physical responses; the difficulty is in noticing, naming, and expressing them. Many describe feeling something is there without being able to say what it is. Finding a fitting word may take time. You can describe the situation or your urge to act even when a precise emotional label is unavailable.
Is the test really confidential?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser. Your individual answers are scored in your browser and are never sent to us or linked to you. They stay in this tab so you can return to your result, and closing or clearing the tab clears them. If you ask us to email the PDF, we receive your summary scores with your email address, never your individual answers. No account is needed.
Is this an alexithymia assessment a clinician would use?
This alexithymia assessment is a screening informed by the TAS-20, not the interview a clinician would use. The original scale asks you to reflect on your own emotional processing, which is harder for people who struggle to notice emotions in the first place, so even the research version is a screening tool. A clinician can ask about concrete situations, how you express feelings in different settings, and whether distress or communication difficulties affect your answers.
How do I know if I have alexithymia?
If you are asking how do I know if I have alexithymia, start with everyday signs: noticing tension without knowing whether it goes with anger, fear, or sadness, sensing something is there but not finding a word for it, or focusing on facts rather than inner experience. This test screens those three factors and shows where the difficulty concentrates. Alexithymia is a trait on a spectrum, not a diagnosis, and only a professional can assess it alongside your wider history.