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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
The Science and Spirit of Joy sets out to connect two ways of talking about happiness. John Stanczak first defines positive psychology as a research field that studies the conditions that support well-being, talking about how it took shape through people like Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi. He uses the PERMA framework and the SPIRE model to show how researchers describe well-being in measurable terms, then leans into Catholic tradition to argue that joy is not simply a mood, but a fruit of charity ordered toward God. Stanczak grounds that claim in Augustine and Aquinas, then makes it practical through Ignatian habits, such as the daily Examen and the principle of cura personalis. He ultimately places joy in public life through Catholic Social Teaching and Catholic education, treating formation as central to flourishing.
The Science and Spirit of Joy: Positive Psychology Meets Catholic Happiness by John Stanczak offers an intelligent work written in what I would call an academic style. The prose is straightforward enough for readers with little outside knowledge to follow, yet it never patronizes those advanced in theology, philosophy, or psychology. Stanczak supports his arguments with extensive references and resources that are among the most inclusive I have encountered in a theological study, working alongside science and philosophy. The section that I connected with the most, especially as a reader who isn't Catholic, is on Catholic Social Teaching, where Stanczak tells us how moral attention to those most at risk of exclusion is imperative, as is evaluating policies by their effects on people with the least power, grounding this in the Gospel. Overall, this is an exhaustively researched book and an incredibly accessible wealth of knowledge. Very highly recommended.
