Which term describes a lack of emotional responsiveness, often observed as reduced facial expression?

• A. Apathy
• B. Flat affect
• C. Blunted affect
• D. Euphoria

Answer: (B)

Affect is the outward display of emotion, including facial expression and tone of voice. When that outward display is essentially absent or markedly diminished, it’s called flat affect. This term captures a lack of emotional responsiveness and minimal facial expression in situations where you’d expect emotion. A related idea is blunted affect, which is a less severe reduction in expression; apathy refers more to a absence of motivation or interest, not specifically to how emotions are shown, and euphoria denotes an unusually elevated mood. So, for a lack of emotional responsiveness with reduced facial expression, flat affect is the most precise description.