Which term describes a lack of emotional expression?

Which term describes a lack of emotional expression?

• A. Lability of mood
• B. Euphoria
• C. Anhedonia
• D. Flat affect

Answer: (D)

The outward sign of emotion is called affect, and when someone shows little or no emotional expression, it’s described as flat affect. This means their face, voice, and gestures don’t convey much emotion—monotone voice, minimal facial movement, and limited eye contact are typical. Flat affect is a negative symptom often seen in schizophrenia and reflects reduced expressiveness rather than the person not feeling anything.

In contrast, lability of mood involves rapid, unpredictable shifts in mood rather than a blunt, unchanged emotional display. Euphoria is an unusually intense, often inappropriate happiness with exuberant expression. Anhedonia is the inability to experience pleasure, which concerns internal feelings of reward rather than outward expression.