Joyism is the result of contemplative study research in the area of positive psychology, behavioural science and altruism. Anhedonia is the technical term for the inability to experience joy; joylessness in other words. When people are in the depths of depression and oppression of the spirit nothing touches them, they are emotionally frozen.

Less studied than anhedonia but a much more pervasive problem is a condition that doesn't even have a clinical name; it's the gradual withdrawal into isolation and indifference that can mark the beginning of depression. Robertson Davies called this condition ‘acedia’; it's akin to the depravity of indolence. But it's not merely laziness; it's a gradual closing down of the world; disinterest in ordinary activities, constricting accomplishments; affecting across social strata.

Acedia, the absence of feeling, makes for empty lives, and it seems to be on the increase. Putting vengeance, anger, guilt, and shame in their place is not enough for recovery from depression; we also must take responsibility for learning to feel good. We might prefer to play it safe, to avoid or control all emotions, but we simply can't; it doesn't work; ours selves and our relationships deteriorate into brittle, bitter, vulnerable shells. Research is done on multiple fronts as Joyism expands to heal and rejuvenate human civilization.