Alexithymia Test (TAS-20 Guide)

What Is Alexithymia?

Alexithymia (from Greek: a- "lack", lexis "words", thymos "emotion") is a personality trait characterized by difficulty in identifying, describing, and distinguishing one's own emotions. The term was coined by Peter Sifneos in the 1970s and is now recognized as a transdiagnostic factor relevant to many mental health and medical conditions.

It is not a formal condition in the DSM-5-TR or ICD-11, rather, it is a dimensional trait present to varying degrees in everyone. Approximately 10% of the general population scores in the alexithymia range on validated measures.

Alexithymia is distinct from not caring about emotions; people with the trait often experience emotions bodily but lack the cognitive capacity to process and verbalize what they are feeling.

Emotional Awareness Reflection

Rate how much each statement describes you in general. There are no right or wrong answers.

Endorsed patterns (rated 4–5):

TAS-20 Score Interpreter

The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) is the criterion-standard 20-item measure developed by Taylor and colleagues. If you have completed a clinical TAS-20 and received a score, use this guide to interpret it.

Three Dimensions of Alexithymia (TAS-20 Subscales)

Alexithymia Co-Occurrence & Prevalence

Alexithymia vs Autism vs Emotional Blunting

Alexithymia

Difficulty processing emotions cognitively; may experience bodily sensations without identifying them as emotions.

Autism (ASD)

Often co-occurs with alexithymia (~50%); social-communication differences are separate from emotion-processing difficulties.

Emotional Blunting

Reduced emotional intensity (often medication-induced); different from alexithymia's cognitive identification difficulty.

Building Emotional Awareness

Track Emotional Awareness Over Time