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Learn more"The Mean Genes message is optimistic . . . a self-help book for the merely average human being." (The Washington Post Book World)
"An unusual cross between a social Darwinist monograph and a self-help manual." (The New Yorker)
Why do we want-and do-so many things that are bad for us? In Mean Genes Terry Burnham and Jay Phelan argue that we need to stop looking to Sigmund Freud for answers and start looking to Charles Darwin. Mean Genes reveals that our struggles for self-improvement are, in fact, battles against our own genes-genes that helped our distant ancestors flourish, but are selfish and out of place in the modern world. Using this evolutionary lens, Mean Genes brilliantly examines the issues that most affect our lives-body image, money, addiction, violence, and relationships, friendship, love, and fidelity-and offers steps to help us lead more satisfying lives.
Terry Burnham, Ph.D., is a visiting scholar at the Harvard Business School. He co-founded Progenics, a publicly traded biotechnology firm with promising treatments for cancer and AIDS.
Jay Phelan, Ph.D., is a biology professor at UCLA. His main area of research is evolutionary genetics and aging.
Terry Burnham, Ph.D., is a visiting scholar at the Harvard Business School. He co-founded Progenics, a publicly traded biotechnology firm with promising treatments for cancer and AIDS.
Jay Phelan, Ph.D., is a biology professor at UCLA. His main area of research is evolutionary genetics and aging.
Reviews
"The Mean Genes message is optimistic...a self-help book for the merely average human being." The Washington Post Book World"An unusual cross between a social Darwinist monograph and a self-help manual." The New Yorker
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