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.