Rating: 
Summary: Fun Smart Book With Insights To Our Weaknesses
Review: Do you ever wonder why you do self destructive or illogical things? Why it is so hard to resist fatty foods, drugs or running up credit card debt? Mean Genes shows that behavior that is bad for humans in today's society of plenty, is the same behavior, refined through tens of thousands of years of evolution, which allowed our ancestors to survive and flourish as hunter-gatherers.This book is filled with interesting and amusing studies done with animals, primitive cultures and modern humans that demonstrate that people haven't evolved much in the past 5000 years. But all is not lost. Burnham and Phelan point out that humans, unlike other species, have a capacity for self-control, and more importantly the intelligence to combat our destructive instincts and biology. And while they don't place much hope in an individual's will power, the authors offer creative ways to restrain our genetic desires. Mean Genes is an intelligent, fast reading and totally enjoyable book that makes us look at ourselves as the product of the 'survival of the fittest', and helps us deal with that in today's world.
Rating:
Summary: A perfect book for a brand new century
Review: I am 34-year old attorney and have probably read over 2000 books in my life. Hands down, Mean Genes tops the list. This book is written for me, you, virtually everyone. The most remarkable aspect of this book is that it gives you rock solid, meticulously researched data on a range of topics that will help you become a more knowledgeable member of our fascinating world. For instance, I was in Hollywood the other day and read the "homosexuality" section; I was on an LA freeway and read "road rage" when I got home; I was craving a hot Indian curry dish and I read "jalapeno peppers" in the thrill-seeking chapter. Each reading was a revelation--and goddam is it well-written, with massive dollops of humor and sassiness. At its heart, Mean Genes is a deeply responsible book. The more we understand and control our own behavior, the better we understand and can predict others' behavior. The revolutionary ideas and advice in Mean Genes will make the world a better, healthier, happier place. The authors, Jay and Terry, are perfectly qualified to write such a landmark book--dedicated, highly educated, endlessly curious, and enormously likeable. May they live long and well. Make it a point to catch them at a media event--the Mean Genes website has details.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: I had the honor of reading "Mean Genes" as a textbook when Dr. Phelen, the co-author, taught my Life Science Class at UCLA. This is book worthy of ANY generation's read-I particularly thought it "answered" some of those questions of life that torment the average college student, let alone humans. The insights and personal stories add warmth to "Mean Genes, and the book is immensely enjoyable (hardly "textbook" like.) Overall-buy the book for keeps-you will want to keep it as a manual for life.
Rating:
Summary: Responding to "Amazon Customer"
Review: I read the book once when it came out. Since then I've had the chance to reread it a few times, discovering more and more layers as my interests take me in new directions(for instance the discussion on the happiness treadmill goes to the core of the current discussions in the economics of happiness). I now carry a copy on my trips as I can kill time in airports by perusing random sections.
The book is so readable as to perhaps set a standard. Yet it is complete in the sense that it covers more of the evolutionary thinking than meets the eye. I didn't realize it until I went to the site www.meangenes.org and got into the more technical research material.
Reread it.
Rating: 
Summary: Yawn...boring "snazzy" self-help blather...
Review: I should have paid more attention before ordering this book. If I had realized that it was Yet Another Self-Help Book, I would have kept my money at home.
As it is...the book has a "snazzy" writing style (look at the silly title, "Mean Genes") and really brings no new information to the table. I mean, who DOESN'T know (or suspect) that a lot of us are programmed to eat more than we really need at the moment? The authors make this simple point, and then dive into the age-old question of self-control, and wind up offering a bunch of diet hints which are not likely to be any more effective than anything else in print out there. Similar chapters follow on drugs and sex and other things; the main message seems to be that you have to control yourself and refuse pleasures in order to be a success in life, and for me, that just sounds like good old American puritanism, dressed up fancy and taken out for a whirl in the 21st century. You certainly won't find these authors offering tips for rationally getting the most pleasure you can out of life.
An example: a few nights ago I was at dinner, and noticed that a Lebanese friend had brought along his water-pipe. He placed a chunk of apple-scented tobacco in the bowl of the pipe and contentedly puffed away for the next 2-3 hours. And it suddenly occurred to me -- hey, if you want to smoke, this is probably the least harmful and most pleasant way to do it. You don't inhale, of course, and the smoke is cooled down by the water in the pipe, so you are avoiding all sorts of bad things happening to your mouth. This would seem a rational approach to maximizing the pleasures of life -- if you enjoy tobacco and nicotine, of course.
Another example might be drinking. From my experience around the world and from my reading, I am fairly convinced that the Italians have this pleasure down pretty well. The basic rule enforced in Italy is (or was): no more than a bottle of wine per day (per adult person). This may seem like a VERY generous allotment, but in fact, it's pretty reasonable, and Italians generally do a lot better than (for example) Frenchmen, who will happily go over that limit, and throw in aperitifs, beer, whiskey, and many other things. I have a good friend in San Francisco who has figured out his own limit at two-thirds of a bottle of wine per day.
But again, this neo-puritan self-help book offers absolutely no guidance along these lines. "Use your will-power and ABSTAIN" seems to be the Golden Rule here, not "Nothing to excess."
Not recommended at all.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and Enriching!
Review: Mean Genes does three things very well: it teaches you to control yourself, it educates you about evolutionary biology, and it makes you laugh. For the uninitiated, the basic premise of evolutionary biology is that all human behavior is driven by genetic traits, traits that are incredibly well-adapted -- for the desert humans evolved in 250,000 years ago. Burnham and Phelan take the human-as-cavemen-unadapted-to-the-modern-world view and illustrate why many of our common weaknesses are actually based on behaviors that were quite useful a quarter of a million years ago. When you view human nature this way, a few things will happen. First, you'll understand the persistence and prevalence of many seemingly self-destructive human idiosyncrasies (for example, adultery and gluttony). Second, you won't feel as bad about yourself! And third, and most useful, by understanding the roots of these common behaviors and by following Burnham and Phelan's recommendations, you'll have the tools to effect genuine self-improvement. Finally, the book is quick and entertaining, so it's a fabulous investment.
Rating: 
Summary: Common sense from a cynical angle
Review: Mean Genes gives a great explanation of how biology and evolution influence all kinds of behaviors in your life. It is fascinating to see how evolution could impact everything from personal savings rates to attitudes towards gambling. As someone who has studied economics a great deal in college, I was particularly interested in how evolution and biology are shown to impact economic decisions. The usage of animal examples are also fun and help to prove the points. This book is educational, but written in such a manner that it is very entertaining and easy to understand for anyone-A MUST READ!
Rating:
Summary: Great Read!
Review: Mean Genes is a great read. I have a non-science background, but this book connects evolution to human tendencies in an extremely entertaining, well written, and easy to read format. In addition, Mean Genes offers self-help advice for many tendencies that plague us. The book has a myriad of fascinating examples of evolutionary animal and human behavior. Woodpeckers solve the problem of finding food as if they are gifted mathematically. Baby human beings, without previous exposure, fear snakes but not guns. I found the majority of self-help recommendations both common sense and reflective. The bottom line is that any honest reader will acknowledge that at least one of the recommendations is worth actualizing. The one for me is "take more risks in the social arena." Unlike for our ancestors, in modern society, the risk of being aggressive in business and personal relationships is minimal. I highly recommend Mean Genes to those seeking a fresh approach to self-help and to those looking for an edifying and entertaining read.
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Summary: Read & Be Happy
Review: Mean Genes is hip, fun, and it will change your life. Terry and Jay will help you understand and tame your "inner caveman." Mean Genes helped me control my TV addiction. No longer am I a slave to watching hours and hours of "the Osbornes" reruns. This is THE operating manual for you body. Every body should own one.
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Summary: Confirming my suspicions
Review: Simply a super read that provides meaningful, if not humorous, insights into the programming of the most personal of computers, our brains. While reading this book I began to grasp why so often it is difficult, if not impossible, to bring many of my personal decisions to fruition; I will quit smoking; I will loose five pounds; I will save more money. ...That can be frustrating. I am sure we all have our own suspicions, or for some strong opinions, about why we act out our lives in the way we do, our appetites for food, sex and all the other desires we live and battle with everyday of our lives. One can read volumes (Darwin, McKinsey, Ladies Home Journal, Ann Landers) in seeking the understanding of the human psyche. This approach takes a lifetime of study and Mean Genes begins the process of answering these questions.
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