Lacking visible emotion or emotional expression; appearing unmoved or indifferent.
From 'affect' (emotion) plus the negating suffix '-less,' meaning 'without affect.' The term was popularized in psychology to describe a symptom of certain mental conditions.
This word is crucial in psychiatry—when someone shows 'flat affect' or is 'affectless,' it's a diagnostic clue that something neurological might be happening, whether depression, autism, or certain medications. It's emotionless as a symptom!
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