Curious if there is any correlation between motivational anhedonia and addiction?

[Aetherius Rimor]

I'm wondering if the underlying causes of motivational anhedonia are related or can be correlated with a reduced risk of drug addiction?

From what I've read, motivational anhedonia is simply the lack of desire to pursue pleasurable activities, not necessarily a lack of pleasure by partaking in them.

Does anyone know of any research into this hypothesis?

The only paper I've found so far is in reference to drug abuse, not specifically addiction/dependence at first glance.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3089992/

 

[Alex000]

I have no kowledge of any study comparing the two, but I think it is an interesting idea. I think individuals with the "negative" symptom of anhedonia, or more specifically "motivational anhedonia", are still at fair risk to fall into addiction, if not higher. I would only argue this because if an individual lacks the drive and motivation to pursue normal pleasures in life, he might find it particularly rewarding to use drugs for his own pleasure, especially if, as you pointed out, there is no true anhedonia, and the individual is still quite capable of feeling pleasure from pleasurable activities. It does not require enormous drive to pop a pill or have a drink etc., if it is available, and so I would think the risk would be rather higher. I'd think the same goes for those with classic anhedonia as seen in schizophrenics, because the pleasures in life just do not satisfy them, and drugs very well could bring a novel pleasure into their lives. Anyone with anhedonia, classic, or otherwise in your case "motivational", is very likely to suffer from other symptoms, as well, and this could propell addiction even more and leave the risk even higher. In my family (dead and alive) the ones who can "get high on life", don't tend to be the ones who enjoy the reward of a euphoriant as much as those who struggle emotionally.