What is anhedonia?
The word anhedonia comes from the Greek an- (“without”) and hēdonē (“pleasure”). (gennev.com)
In simplest terms, it refers to the persistent inability, or greatly reduced ability, to experience pleasure from activities that once felt meaningful, enjoyable or satisfying. (gennev.com)
It is more than a temporary mood dip or “not feeling like it”, it’s a flattening of emotional engagement and interest. (womanandhome.com)
Why does it matter?
For women in the midlife transition, especially in the perimenopause or menopause years, anhedonia is a silent but serious symptom. While hot flashes, sleep problems, and changing hormones get more public attention, the emotional deadening of anhedonia often goes undiagnosed. (womanandhome.com)
When we lose interest in hobbies, movement, friends, creativity, things that used to define us, it can affect identity, mood, motivation, relationships and overall quality of life.
What happens during menopause that can trigger anhedonia?
Several interrelated mechanisms contribute:
- Hormonal fluctuations and decline
- During perimenopause and menopause, levels of oestrogen (estrogen), progesterone and other sex hormones shift dramatically. (gennev.com)
- Oestrogen in particular helps regulate the brain’s reward systems (including dopamine and serotonin). Lower levels or erratic fluctuations can reduce the brain’s ability to feel pleasure. (Managing the Menopause)
- One recent fMRI study found that oestradiol (a form of estrogen) administration changed brain activation in women with anhedonia in the transition period. (sciencedirect.com)
- Reward-circuit disruption
- Neuroimaging shows that anhedonia involves altered activity in reward-related brain regions (e.g., striatum, fronto-striatal circuits) and dopamine signalling. (Biological Psychiatry Journal)
- Hormonal shifts may impair the brain’s “motivational engine”, the drive to pursue, anticipate or enjoy, rather than just feeling sad. (Managing the Menopause)
- Stress, sleep disruption and lifestyle factors
- The perimenopause/menopause phase often coincides with sleep fragmentation, increased life stresses (work, caregiving), changes in body, identity and lifestyle. These amplify vulnerability. (womanandhome.com)
- Chronic stress increases cortisol, which interferes with dopamine and other reward pathways. (Managing the Menopause)
Together these factors can create the perfect storm for anhedonia, where things that used to bring you joy feel dull, flat or even meaningless.
How might anhedonia show up?
These are some of the ways women describe it:
- The hobby you once loved now feels like a chore or just “meh.” (gennev.com)
- You may go through the motions, work, home, social life, but you don’t feel connected to them. (womanandhome.com)
- Pleasure from sensory experiences (music, food, movement, touch) seems blunted. (HELLO!)
- Interest in friends, social activities, creativity may fade. You might feel disconnected rather than sad. (gennev.com)
- Guilt or self-judgment: “What’s wrong with me? I used to love this.”
Because anhedonia doesn’t always look like classic depression (with overt sadness or hopelessness), it can go unrecognised, and that means fewer opportunities for support and recovery.
Why it’s especially relevant for you (and for The Pause)
At The Pause, we focus on body + mind + life shifts during midlife. Anhedonia sits at that intersection: a symptom that links brain, hormone, lifestyle, mood and meaning.
If you’re tracking in our app and you notice that your excitement for movement, for your hobbies, or for your own life is fading—not because you’ve lost interest in general but because you can’t feel the interest, then you may be dealing with more than simple plating fatigue or busy life.
This is exactly why measurement, awareness and tracking matter. When you log mood, movement, pleasure, interest, what used to spark you, you may catch the early signal of anhedonia. And when you recognize it, you can act.
What you can do (practical strategies)
Here are actionable steps (each of which can be supported by The Pause tracking) to combat anhedonia:
1. Name it and accept it
Identifying what you’re experiencing is essential. Rather than dismissing the flatness as “just life” or blaming yourself, recognize: this is a biological-emotional pattern with roots, and it can be addressed. (HELLO!)
2. Behavioral activation
Even when you don’t feel like it, do the things you used to enjoy, or used to think you’d enjoy, even at a low level. The brain’s reward system responds to activity, sometimes before the “feeling” returns. (Managing the Menopause)
Tracking in the app can help: log the attempt, note how you feel before + after, even if the change is small.
3. Movement, sleep, diet—basic brain care
- Regular movement supports dopamine, endorphin and mood systems.
- Prioritise sleep hygiene: disrupted sleep worsens reward-circuit functioning. (womanandhome.com)
- Choose an anti-inflammatory, nutrient-rich diet to support neurotransmitter production. (womanandhome.com)
4. Hormone and medical evaluation
Given that hormonal shifts play a strong role, it’s appropriate to talk with a menopause-knowledgeable clinician about whether hormone therapy or other medical supports are suitable. Emerging evidence suggests benefit of estradiol in reward-circuit support. (sciencedirect.com)
5. Psychotherapy, meaning work and re-connection
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and other psychotherapies can help by activating interest, reframing reward pathways and supporting motivation. (gennev.com)
- Explore values, meaning, identity: ask what still matters to you (even if it doesn’t feel like it now) and experiment with reconnection.
6. Use tracking to monitor shifts
Use The Pause app to log not just physical symptoms, but “interest level,” “pleasure from activity,” “motivation to engage.” When you see patterns (for example, movement still happens but the joy is gone), this can be a signal to deepen your approach or seek professional support.
Final thoughts
Anhedonia isn’t a failure of willpower. It’s not laziness or lack of discipline. For many women in the menopause transition it’s a real, and treatable, phenomenon rooted in brain, hormone, lifestyle and meaning changes.
At The Pause, our mission is to help you notice the shifts, understand them and move with awareness—not just chase the “old you.” Because joy, meaning and motivation can be rediscovered, even if they look a little different than they used to.
If you are noticing that what used to bring you joy doesn’t anymore, track it. Talk about it. And take a step, just one step—towards reclaiming your spark.
References
- Gennev. “Where’s My Joy? Understanding Anhedonia During Menopause.” Gennev. (gennev.com)
- Managing the Menopause. “Overcoming Anhedonia and Finding Joy.” (Managing the Menopause)
- Cambridge University Press / Woman & Home. “What is anhedonia? The menopause symptom you’ve probably never heard of.” (womanandhome.com)
- Biological Psychiatry. “Associations Between Perimenopausal Anhedonia and Striatal …” (Biological Psychiatry Journal)
- ScienceDirect. “Effects of estradiol administration on brain activation and anhedonia …” (sciencedirect.com)