# Clinical/psychiatric term for "emotionless"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 6, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463 "2007-11-06T21:18:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/1 "2007-11-06T21:18:42Z")
Okay, so while flying to my vaction destination, I had a Stephen King anthology (figured it was good-stupid reading for travel). It was the one with 1408 it it. Anyway, one of the stories, a character mentions going to see a psychiatrist, and being “\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_”.
The narrator explained the term as meaning “emotional flatline”.
As in “totally apathy” or “lack of emotion” or “emotionally numb”. The context was that his marriage had fallen apart and he was so devastated he no longer felt anything at all and was clinically “\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_”.
For no reason at all, last night my brain asked itself: “What was that word?” I vaguely recall it starting with an “A” but it’s not “apathy”. It sounded much fancier than that. I think it’s related to “anomie” or had the “an” prefix, but I could be misremembering.
I can’t find the book, and I’m not 100% it was in that particular story. It IS in the book somewhere though, and I distinctly remember the narrator’s definition as “emotional flatline”.
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### Author:  [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/2 "2007-11-06T21:23:20Z")
I’ve heard the term “flat affect” to describe this - is that what you are thinking of?
> **[Reduced affect display](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_affect)**
>
> Reduced affect display, sometimes referred to as emotional blunting or emotional numbing, is a condition of reduced emotional reactivity in an individual. It manifests as a failure to express feelings either verbally or nonverbally, especially when talking about issues that would normally be expected to engage emotions. In this condition, expressive gestures are rare and there is little animation in facial expression or vocal inflection. Additionally, reduced affect can be symptomatic of autis
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### Author:  [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/3 "2007-11-06T21:24:15Z")
“flat affect” ? (WAG)
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### Author:  [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2007, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/4 "2007-11-06T21:27:28Z")
No, it was one word. I may have to hunt for the book and find the silly thing.
It’s also quite possible it was a variation of “anomie” and the narrator (who was supposed to be a regular guy) created more or less his own definition. Sort of like “The shrink said I’m ‘dysphoric’ meaning I’m in a lousy mood.”
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2007, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/5 "2007-11-06T21:27:46Z")
asocial: rejecting or lacking the capacity for social interaction.
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### Author:  [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/6 "2007-11-06T21:30:00Z")
Well, you could say “The shrink said I’m ‘anomic’ meaning socially unstable”.
> **[Definition of ANOMIE](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anomie)**
>
> social instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values; also : personal unrest, alienation, and uncertainty that comes from a lack of purpose or ideals… See the full definition
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### Author:  [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/7 "2007-11-06T21:30:38Z")
[QUOTE=Jas09]
I’ve heard the term “flat affect” to describe this - is that what you are thinking of?
> **[Reduced affect display](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_affect)**
>
> Reduced affect display, sometimes referred to as emotional blunting or emotional numbing, is a condition of reduced emotional reactivity in an individual. It manifests as low emotional expressivity, whether verbally or nonverbally, especially when talking about issues that would normally be expected to engage emotions. In this condition, expressive gestures are rare and there is little animation in facial expression or vocal inflection. Additionally, reduced affect can be symptomatic of autism H...
[/QUOTE]
Come to think of it, he may have been referring to “anhedonia” which is in your link.
Anhedonia = decrease or cessation of all feelings of pleasure (which thus affects enjoyment, happiness, fun, interest, and satisfaction).
Maybe the narrotor was described as “anhedonic” and the emotional flatline was his spin on the word.
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/8 "2007-11-06T21:30:45Z")
There is a related word called “anhedonia” meaning the inability to experience pleasure.
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### Author:  [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/9 "2007-11-06T21:32:41Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty]
There is a related word called “anhedonia” meaning the inability to experience pleasure.
[/QUOTE]
It fits with the context of the story, being apathetic and listless because his wife left.
That’s probably it. Thanks everyone.
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/10 "2007-11-07T00:20:26Z")
Yup, anhedonia.
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2007, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/11 "2007-11-07T00:31:24Z")
Ah, the glory that is the web. [Here’s](http://www.mostlyfiction.com/excerpts/everything.htm) a story by King from _Everything’s Eventual_ that uses the term “anhedonia.”
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### Author:  [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2007, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/12 "2007-11-07T00:36:03Z")
Minor trivia point: _Anhedonia_ was Woody Allen’s original title for _Annie Hall_.
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### Author:  [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2007, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/13 "2007-11-07T01:22:15Z")
“Alexothymic” means “unable to describe an emotional state” (sometimes used to mean an inability to recognize or credit, much less describe, an emotional state), so as I opened this thread, I found myself wondering what one would call an inability to describe a _lack_ of emotional state … because I was staring straight at it!
“Phlegmatic” is another, less clinical, word that is often used for a person whose demeanor generally does not overtly display their emotional state.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2007, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinical-psychiatric-term-for-emotionless/425463/14 "2007-11-07T03:45:30Z")
[QUOTE=KP]
"…I found myself wondering what one would call an inability to describe a _lack_ of emotional state …
[/QUOTE]
Alexoanthmyic? Alexoanhedonic?