Emotional Blunting: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Emotions are a normal and crucial part of the human species. Having a wide range of them and experiencing them at differing degrees is a part of human life. We experience a large array of emotions. And research over the years has concluded seven universal emotions – anger, enjoyment (or happiness), fear, surprise, disgust, sadness, and contempt (Paul Ekman, 2024; Wallbott & Scherer, 1986). But have you ever felt numb? Like, not feel anything. Things that made you happy or excited earlier just happen, without any emotions. They just pass by. And such is with things that made you sad or angry in the past. You just don’t see a shift in your emotions. You neither experience any positive emotions nor any negative emotions. Well, that is essentially what emotional blunting is. 

We’ve all experienced it at some point in our lives – a rough week at work, a series of bad news, or just a persistent grey cloud over our heads. But the problem arises if that feeling lingers. The fading of emotions. Detachment. The flattening of affect (the experience and expression of a feeling or emotion). This is the slow and quiet apocalypse of emotional blunting. 

What is Emotional Blunting? 

Emotional blunting, also known as emotional numbness or emotional flattening, is when an individual has a limited or reduced ability to experience and express emotions, both positive and negative emotions. People experiencing emotional blunting describe feeling “numb”, “empty”, “detached”, “disconnected”, or “muted”. They often have a reduced or complete lack of emotional reaction in situations where they would earlier feel joy, sadness, excitement, anger, disgust, or disappointment. They might also feel “detached” or “disconnected” from others’ feelings (Cirino, 2021: Otr/L, 2024). 

Emotional blunting can either be temporary or long-term. It can last for a few minutes to a few days, or last for months to years. The latter is usually when there may be something to be concerned about. In the end, it all depends on the underlying cause of emotional blunting. Additionally, emotionally blunting isn’t just a lack in experiencing a particular emotion, but a reduction in experiencing and expressing all sorts of emotions.

Symptoms 

Emotional blunting may look different for different people. Some common signs of emotional blunting are: (Cirino, 2021; Lebow, 2021; West, 2023) 

• Reduced emotional response to situations 
• Inability to enjoy previously pleasurable activities 
• difficulty in identifying or relating to others’ emotions (West, 2023)
• decreased empathy, which may lead to difficulty maintaining relationships
• feeling disconnected from oneself, as well as the whole world (Lebow, 2021)
• lack of motivation 
• lack of concentration 
• difficulty forming and maintaining relationships (Cirino, 2021) 
• feeling indifference towards people, events, or situations that were previously enjoyed
• difficulty in enjoying activities that they once found pleasurable 
• fatigue 
• restlessness 
• forgetfulness 

Some people may experience some of these symptoms, whereas others may experience all of them. People may also experience a combination of a couple of these emotions at varying times. 

Causes 

Feeling emotionally numb is usually a result of physical or emotional pain; thus, it is a symptom. It often surfaces as an attempt to protect oneself from being hurt again. Because of this, people may feel temporary relief, but over time, it can become problematic. There are a variety of reasons that people may feel numb. (Cirino, 2021; Lebow, 2021; MEd, 2025; Otr/L, 2024; West, 2023) 

Antidepressant medication 

Emotional blunting is a very common side effect of antidepressant medications. While the majority of the research accepts emotional blunting as an antidepressant side effect, some researchers also claim that it could rather be a symptom of depression (Goodwin et al., 2017). 

Major depressive disorder 

People with depression often have feelings of emptiness, which makes it hard for them to feel positive or negative emotions. They may also be less in touch with their own and other people’s feelings, thus causing a dulling of emotions.

Anxiety 

High levels of anxiety have been linked to people suppressing both positive and negative emotions (Tull et al., 2004). Individuals with anxiety disorders may feel emotionally numb as a response to intense stress, fear, or persistent worry. 

Borderline personality disorder 

People with borderline personality disorder sometimes experience dissociation, which can be expressed by the individual feeling emotionally detached or numb. 

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 

People with PTSD are likely to suppress their thoughts, thereby also leading to the suppression of both positive and negative emotions (Tull et al., 2004). Individuals with PTSD use emotional blunting to protect themselves from the troubling and hurtful response to the traumatising event. While this may make them feel better and temporarily deal with the memories of the event, it can affect their ability to empathise and connect with others in the long run. 

Schizophrenia 

People with schizophrenia experience ‘negative’ symptoms, which are a decrease in or absence of normal emotions or normal behaviours. These may inhibit their ability to function normally in the world. This may include their ability to experience the normal, usual range of emotions. 

Grief 

Individuals may use emotional blunting to cope with their grieving process. These people may feel completely disconnected from their emotions, hence, using emotional blunting as a coping mechanism for the overwhelming sadness. 

Mental or emotional abuse 

Research also shows that people who are emotionally abused as children may feel emotionally numb because they experience emotional dysregulation (Dvir et al., 2014). Feeling numb may also be a coping mechanism to avoid dealing with situations that scare them and give rise to the same frightening memories. 

Substance use 

Substance misuse can cause emotional numbness. Substances like alcohol, opioids, cannabis, or other drugs act as depressants on the nervous system, which limits emotional reactivity. The substances essentially alter the brain’s reward system, which means that the brain doesn’t respond to positive stimuli the way it normally would. Which can lead to a reduced feeling of pleasure, joy, or motivation. Thus, emotional numbing blocks negative feelings as well as shuts down the ability to feel positive emotions.

Treatment 

Treatment for emotional blunting involves treatments that treat the cause behind it. The treatments include psychotherapies, medications, as well as managing it on your own (Lebow, 2021). 

Psychotherapy 

As the cause of emotional bluntness needs to be addressed to treat it, psychotherapy becomes an effective treatment option for the mental health condition that can cause emotional blunting. Psychotherapy may include a variety of therapeutic techniques, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), among others. Thus, it is best to seek professional help to effectively determine and curate the best plan of action. 

Support Groups 

Engaging with people who are having similar experiences may be comforting. For example, if someone is experiencing emotional blunting because of substance use, they could go to an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting, a Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting, or any other such group. Being around people who experience similar things may give you an idea about what you can do or what isn’t helpful. 

Stimulate your Senses 

When you feel emotionally blunted, it may help to engage yourself with experiences that stimulate one or more of your senses. Such as taking a warm shower, going out for a walk, eating spicy food, listening to calming or upbeat music, lighting an incense, etc. 

Medication 

If a certain medication is causing emotional numbing, like in the case of antidepressants, people can visit a psychiatrist who may provide them with an alternative drug or adjust the dosage. Medication can also work in cases when emotional numbing is caused by mental health disorders, so a complete treatment of those disorders may include medication as well.

Conclusion 

While feeling a wide range of emotions is normal, emotional numbing or emotional blunting is not that uncommon either. Experiencing emotional bluntness sometimes is normal, but it becomes problematic if it is continued for some time. Feeling emotionally blunted can be described as feeling numb, empty, or detached – it essentially is feeling emotions at a very muted level or not at all. It can be shown as a variety of symptoms and may have many causes behind it as well. But with proper professional help and support, it can be treated.

FAQs 

1. What is emotional blunting? 

Emotional blunting, also known as emotional numbness or emotional flattening, is when an individual has a limited or reduced ability to experience and express emotions, both positive and negative emotions. 

2. What does emotional blunting feel like? 

Emotional blunting can feel like a reduced emotional response to situations or an inability to enjoy previously pleasurable activities. Other symptoms of emotional blunting include lack of motivation, lack of concentration, fatigue, restlessness, forgetfulness, etc. 

3. What could lead to emotional blunting? 

There are a variety of reasons that people experience emotional blunting. Some of those are mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar personality disorder, major depressive disorder, or schizophrenia. Other reasons could be as a side effect of antidepressant medications, as a coping mechanism against grief, and due to substance misuse. 

4. How to treat emotional blunting? 

Emotional blunting can be treated through seeking professional help via psychotherapy and medication. Other ways of treatment include support groups and stimulating one’s senses.