Revealing the Impact of Depression on Social Choices: A Comprehensive Study on Anhedonia

 Revealing the Impact of Depression on Social Choices: A Comprehensive Study on Anhedonia

New study reveals connection with anhedonia

A recent experiment conducted in France shed light on how depression influences social preferences, particularly in relation to anhedonia, a key symptom of this mental health condition. The study uncovered that both individuals with and without depression tend to avoid sitting next to people displaying anger, favoring those with cheerful expressions. However, a significant discovery was made: individuals with depression displayed a reduced inclination to choose seats next to happy individuals, and this inclination was strongly associated with the severity of their anhedonia symptoms. This insightful research was published in Behavior Research and Therapy.

Depression, often referred to as major depressive disorder, is a widespread and severe mental health ailment characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a decreased interest or pleasure in most activities. Those grappling with depression often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including disrupted sleep patterns, changes in appetite, fatigue, difficulties in concentrating, and even thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

Anhedonia, the diminished ability to experience pleasure or interest in activities, stands as a defining feature of depression. Individuals with pronounced anhedonia are more susceptible to suicidal thoughts and typically respond less effectively to treatment. Furthermore, they encounter substantial challenges in their social interactions. Scientific studies have linked anhedonia to complex malfunctions in the brain circuits responsible for goal-oriented behaviors, the actions that drive individuals to seek rewards and avoid punishments.

Julie Grezes, the lead author of the study, and her research team sought to explore how individuals with depression approach or avoid social interactions based on emotional expressions. They also aimed to understand whether these individuals were willing to change their initial responses under changing circumstances.

The researchers formulated hypotheses suggesting that individuals with depression would be less inclined than their healthy counterparts to engage with individuals displaying happiness in social contexts. They also posited that those with depression would be less prone to avoid individuals expressing anger. Additionally, the study aimed to determine if depressive individuals were less likely to modify their initial reactions.

The study comprised three distinct participant groups: 24 depressive patients with a history of suicide attempts, 24 depressive patients without such a history, and 24 healthy individuals, all with an average age of approximately 36 years. Depressed patients were drawn from both inpatient and outpatient units at the Department of Emergency Psychiatry & Post-Acute Care at Montpellier Academic Hospital in France. The healthy group consisted of volunteers matched with the depressive cohorts based on age and gender.

Participants underwent assessments to measure the severity of their depression symptoms, anhedonia, anxiety, impulsiveness, empathy, mentalizing capacity, and childhood trauma. These evaluations included the Beck Depression Inventory, the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasures Scale, the State Trait Spielberger Anxiety Scale, the BIS/BAS scale, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.

The participants engaged in a social free-choice task, which involved viewing images of a waiting area with two seated individuals, each beside an unoccupied chair. In each image, one person displayed a neutral expression, while the other exhibited a neutral, angry, or happy expression. This activity encompassed 120 unique images, each featuring various actor combinations, seating arrangements, and facial expressions. Each participant reviewed these images three times, with the third viewing involving reversed response keys, totaling 360 trials.

During the task, participants had 1.5 seconds to view each image and decide which chair they would choose by pressing the corresponding left or right key. An on-screen cursor moved in the chosen direction, and participants released the key to finalize their choice. In a third of the trials, the researchers inverted the key configurations to assess participants' willingness to rectify their choices when the initial choice was undesirable.

The results demonstrated that all participants, regardless of depression status, favored sitting next to happy individuals and avoided those with angry expressions. However, individuals with depression exhibited a reduced inclination to choose seats next to happy individuals. The strength of this inclination was closely tied to the severity of their anhedonia symptoms.

Analyzing responses during reversed key-binding trials revealed that participants were less likely to change their decisions when their initial choice was desirable, compared to when it was neutral. Notably, healthy participants demonstrated a greater willingness to rectify their choices to achieve a favorable outcome compared to those with depression. Additionally, those with more severe anhedonia symptoms were less inclined to make corrections.

In the words of the study authors, "Our results showed that all participants, whether depressed or not, preferred to approach happy and to avoid angry individuals, but depressed participants approached happy individuals less than controls. Moreover, when after the first choice the response cursor was headed toward the undesirable outcome by approaching angry or avoiding happy individuals, depressed participants were less willing to produce an additional effort (change key press) to correct their initial response, as compared to controls."

The study, while contributing significantly to our understanding of motivational changes in depression, does have limitations. The sample size was relatively small, and it remains uncertain to what extent making choices in a simulated picture-based scenario mirrors real-life social interactions.