Subjective cognitive effort mediates the relationship between affective expectations and experienced pleasure in dysphoric and non‐dysphoric individuals

We found that subjective, but not objective, effort expenditure mediated the relationship between expected and experienced pleasure, and this was true for both dysphoric and non-dysphoric participants. Anhedonia was a significant moderator, such that the mediated effect was only significant at moderate and high levels of anhedonia. Implications for the treatment of depression are discussed.