I am looking for a word or phrase that describes when a person can't enjoy something that should be enjoyable because there is some aspect of the experience present that other people would normally not consider important.
For instance, a person who really loves ice cream is out with friends and they go to an ice cream shop, but the price of the ice cream is higher than the person is comfortable paying. Due to social pressure the person buys some ice cream anyway, but can't enjoy it.
I'm not looking for the case where the person associates the activity in question with a bad experience or has a bad experience. Rather the reason for the lack of enjoyment is something that most people would probably dismiss as silly but which the person experiencing it has strong, perhaps irrational, feelings that interfere with their ability to enjoy what should be a fun experience.
Best Answer
Anhedonia is "the inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable, e.g. exercise, hobbies, music, sexual activities or social interactions."
However, it's not clear whether this term is properly applied to a single "incident" such as you describe, vs a more general trend in the person's behavior.