Anhedonia Test: See Where Your Interest and Enjoyment Have Changed Lately
An adult self-assessment of reduced pleasure in connection, senses, interests, and achievement over the past two weeks. See which areas feel different from usual, with practical next steps.
Reviewed byMichael Callans, MSWAnhedonia Test is a free, confidential 16-question self-assessment, original items informed by pleasure research. It takes about 5 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.
Notice where enjoyment has become harder to feel
Reduced pleasure, sometimes called anhedonia, can be difficult to explain when you are still completing everyday tasks. This anhedonia test focuses on the felt experience of enjoyment, while the interpretation separates that experience from tiredness, opportunity, and motivation. If you searched for an anhedonia quiz, this is the same 16-item screener, written for adults aged 18 or older.
Several sources of pleasure
Social connection, sensory enjoyment, personal interests, and satisfaction after achievement may change unevenly. A person might still enjoy music while feeling little pleasure from finishing something meaningful. Four equal groups help you describe those differences rather than assuming that enjoyment has disappeared everywhere.
Change relative to you
The focus is your recent experience compared with what you usually enjoy. It does not assume that everyone likes parties, exercise, cooking, or the same hobbies. Feeling little interest in an activity you have always disliked is different from losing enjoyment in something that previously mattered to you.
Context before conclusions
This self-report cannot identify a brain chemical imbalance or explain the cause of reduced pleasure. Results prompt a conversation about onset, daily functioning, medication changes, and mood. Professional support is available even if you can still feel some enjoyment or your answers fall in the lowest range.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Question source | May present borrowed questions without clear attribution | 16 original items informed by pleasure research |
| Scope | May ask only whether you feel happy | Separate social, sensory, interest, and achievement experiences |
| Grouping | May imply every section is a clinical subscale | Four educational groupings, not validated SHAPS subscales |
| Score interpretation | May claim to measure dopamine | Describes reported experiences without a biological claim |
| Safety | May leave referral until after a sales pitch | Professional support and crisis information are prominent |
| Report choice | Access and data practices vary | Free result; optional PDF uses summary scores when available |
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How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–48 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–16 | Less frequent loss of pleasure | You reported fewer recent reductions in enjoyment overall. Professional support remains appropriate if any change is persistent or distressing. |
| 17–32 | Recurring loss of pleasure | Enjoyment appears reduced in several recent situations. Consider talking with a therapist or healthcare professional about the change. |
| 33–48 | Frequent loss of pleasure | Your answers describe a substantial recent change in enjoyment. Please contact a healthcare professional to discuss support and assessment. |
Is this the SHAPS test?
This is not the SHAPS test itself. The screener is informed by the pleasure-assessment approach of the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale, published by Snaith and colleagues in 1995, but it does not reproduce the SHAPS, adapt its item wording, or provide a score on it. Instead we wrote 16 original items about reduced enjoyment compared with your usual experience over the past two weeks, grouped into four educational areas: social, sensory, interest, and achievement pleasure. Those groupings are ours, not validated SHAPS subscales, and the three result bands are educational thirds of the range, not clinical cutoffs or published SHAPS thresholds. This anhedonia questionnaire has not been validated and cannot establish depression, determine treatment, or assess immediate safety.
Methodology & sources
This original adult screener is informed by the pleasure-assessment approach of the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS; Snaith and colleagues, 1995). It does not reproduce, adapt item wording from, or provide a score on the copyrighted SHAPS. We wrote 16 items about reduced enjoyment compared with the person's usual experience during the past two weeks. Four educational groupings contain four items each: Social pleasure, Sensory pleasure, Interest pleasure, and Achievement pleasure. These are our groupings, not validated SHAPS subscales; achievement is an additional organizing choice. Frequency responses score 0 for Not at all, 1 for Several days, 2 for More than half the days, and 3 for Nearly every day. No items are reverse scored. Area scores range from 0 to 12 and the total from 0 to 48.
Our bands of 0 to 16, 17 to 32, and 33 to 48 are educational thirds of the possible range, not clinical cutoffs or published SHAPS thresholds. The questionnaire and its grouping have not been validated. A total cannot establish depression, determine treatment, or assess immediate safety. Answers also depend on whether you encountered the experiences described; little opportunity can make the score less informative. Reduced pleasure can accompany depression and other mental or physical health concerns, so history and functioning matter. Our PHQ-9-based depression screen at Depression Test covers a wider symptom picture. A clinician can consider that information alongside the timing of changes in enjoyment and help decide the next step.
References
- Snaith RP, Hamilton M, Morley S, Humayan A, Hargreaves D, Trigwell P. A scale for the assessment of hedonic tone: The Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale. British Journal of Psychiatry. 1995;167(1):99–103. doi.org/10.1192/bjp.167.1.99
- National Institute of Mental Health. Depression. Accessed September 13, 2026. nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression
- National Institute of Mental Health. Psychotherapies. Accessed September 13, 2026. nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/psychotherapies
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, October 18). Anhedonia Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/anhedonia
Anhedonia Test FAQ
What does anhedonia mean?
Anhedonia refers to reduced interest or pleasure. People may describe familiar activities as flat, feel less anticipation, or notice less enjoyment while something is happening. This questionnaire emphasizes reduced pleasure compared with your usual experience. It cannot tell whether the change comes from depression, another condition, medication effects, or your circumstances.
Can I have reduced pleasure without feeling sad?
Yes. Some people notice emptiness or diminished enjoyment more clearly than sadness. That experience still deserves attention if it persists or affects life. The depression test, based on the PHQ-9, asks about a broader set of symptoms. Neither screen replaces a conversation with a qualified healthcare professional.
How is this different from boredom or low motivation?
Boredom may improve when the activity or situation changes. Low motivation concerns getting started, while enjoyment concerns how an experience feels once it occurs. These can overlap, and this short test cannot separate them reliably. Tell a clinician whether you struggle to begin, whether an activity feels unrewarding once underway, or both. If getting started is the bigger problem and the flatness is more about drive than pleasure, the Apathy Test (Apathy Test: Loss of Motivation and Interest) looks at that side specifically.
What if I have not done the activities lately?
Rate the experience when it occurred. For an experience you did not have at all, choose Not at all and remember that limited opportunity can lower the total. Avoid assuming a missing activity proves an inability to enjoy it. If most questions were difficult to answer for this reason, a conversation may be more helpful than the number.
Does a high score mean this will be permanent?
No score here predicts how long the experience will last. Improvement depends on the cause and on finding suitable support. Discuss persistent changes with a clinician, including any medication or health changes. Do not alter prescribed treatment on your own. If you feel unsafe, contact immediate support rather than waiting to retake this test.
What is social, musical, or sexual anhedonia?
These are subtypes describing where reduced pleasure shows up. Social anhedonia is fading enjoyment in company, musical anhedonia is reduced pleasure specifically from music while other rewards feel normal, and sexual anhedonia is reduced pleasure during intimacy. This test's four areas approximate related patterns, but it does not diagnose any subtype and cannot isolate music or intimacy alone. Describe the specific pattern to a healthcare professional for a fuller picture.
Is the anhedonia test free?
Yes. This free anhedonia test shows your result at no cost, with a reduced pleasure score out of 48 and a breakdown across the four areas. An optional PDF uses your summary scores when available. There is no cutoff to reach before asking for help: professional support is appropriate at any score, especially if a change in enjoyment is persistent or distressing, and the result is educational, not a diagnosis.
Can a quiz tell me if I have anhedonia?
Searching for a do I have anhedonia quiz usually means enjoyment has felt flat for a while. This screener can describe how often reduced pleasure showed up over the past two weeks and which areas feel different from usual, but it cannot tell you whether the change comes from depression, another condition, medication effects, or your circumstances, and a low total can hide a marked change in one area. Only a clinician can explore the cause, so treat the result as a starting point for that conversation.