MEAN GENES is a groundbreaking look at why our toughest battles are often with ourselves. It uses a Darwinian lens to examine the issues that most affect our lives: body image, money, addiction, violence - and the endless search for love and happiness. MEAN GENES reveals that struggles for self-improvement are, in fact, battles against our own genes - genes that helped our ancient ancestors flourish, but are selfish and out of place in an industrial world. What makes MEAN GENES stand out though is that Burnham and Phelan don't simply describe the connections between genes and behaviour. They offer - for the first time ever - steps for improving the quality of our lives through a genetic science perspective.
Terry Burnham Boeken
Short, sassy, and bold, Mean Genes uses a Darwinian lens to examine the issues that most deeply affect our lives: body image, money, addiction, violence, and the endless search for happiness, love, and fidelity. But Burnham and Phelan don't simply describe the connections between our genes and our behavior; they also outline steps that we can take to tame our primal instincts and so improve the quality of our lives. Why do we want (and do) so many things that are bad for us? We vow to lose those extra five pounds, put more money in the bank, and mend neglected relationships, but our attempts often end in failure. Mean Genes reveals that struggles for self-improvement are, in fact, battles against our own genes -- genes that helped our cavewoman and caveman ancestors flourish but that are selfish and out of place in the modern world. Why do we like junk food more than fruit? Why is the road to romance so rocky? Why is happiness so elusive? What drives us into debt? An investigation into the biological nature of temptation and the struggle for control, Mean Genes answers these and other fundamental questions about human nature while giving us an edge to lead more satisfying lives.