Mean Genes by Terry Burnham and Jay Phelan

Infidelity, gossip, debt, materialism, road rage: Each of these problems appears at first to be a diversion from our natures, a modern problem resulting from modern life. Not so, say the researchers behind Mean Genes, who argue compellingly that each of these and many more of the common difficulties we encounter can be traced to our genetic roots. Concise and loaded with fascinating examples, Mean Genes is a great read. In spite of its subtitle, however (“From sex to money to food: Taming our primal instincts”), it is largely deterministic, arguing that these problems are indeed imprinted on us genetically and may be inevitable. It offers only token lip service on how these problems can be solved. As a therapist, I tend to side more with the free will crowd.

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