Genetically confused

>> Mean Genes spouts contradictory theories on our bad habits

by JULIET WATERS

In Mean Genes, a self-help book based on the theories of evolutionary psychology, the authors bring up the example of Odysseus as a model of self-control.

On his way home to Greece, Odysseus had to find a way to resist the singing of the Sirens who lured besotted sailors to their death. He lashed himself to the ship's mast, plugged his crew's ears with wax and ordered them not to look at his face or listen to his commands. "Odysseus anticipated his weakness and took steps to plan for his predictable passions from wreaking destructive ends." Thus he became the only man to listen to the Siren's song and live to tell about it.

If I could lash myself to the preceding paragraph and warn you not to read on I would do it. Then I could be one of the few who get to read Terry Burnham and Jay Phelan's provocative theories for why we overspend, overeat, do drugs and cheat on our partners; even though I'm convinced these theories are unlikely to improve your life in any way, beyond the happy two hours you will spend believing that your life will improve.

Burnham and Phelan argue that understanding what we are is the only way we can significantly change. For instance, we are like our primitive ancestors who had to eat all the food or it would spoil and unlike squirrels who always have plenty of food because they hide it in trees. Thus we are built to spend whatever disposable income we have, whatever is in our wallets, chequing accounts or credit cards. If we act on our natural impulses, instead of aping squirrels, we will always be in debt.

This built-to-consume model is used to explain fat. We will eat whatever is in our homes to protect ourselves against famine or food spoiling. But because the famine never comes and the food doesn't spoil we are becoming obese. We are also genetically programmed to conserve energy, thus genetically programmed to be lazy, which adds to the problem. Our genes, the authors argue, are programmed to solve ancient problems and not modern ones.

Luckily, we are equipped with the brains to imitate other animals when it suits us. We can become more like our furry-cheeked friends and hide our money from ourselves in money market accounts, investments and property. We can stock up on low-fat foods, or buy a dog whose different genetic programming won't let us sit around the house all day. Mostly though, we have to be on guard for social forces that are trying to exploit our ancient genetic impulses: credit card companies, junk food manufacturers etc.

It all makes wonderful magical sense until we get to the chapter on greed. Here Burnham and Phelan bring up the happiness set-point theory. Studies show that just as our bodies will inevitably return to consuming the same number of calories no matter what changes we make in our diet, our minds will inevitably return to the same level of happiness regardless of whether we win the 6/49 or lose both our legs. The Mean Genes argument is this: the illusion that our happiness can increase if we are richer or more secure is a genetic trick to get us to keep working hard to stay strong.

So in one chapter we're genetically programmed to be poor and lazy, in the next we're genetically programmed to be greedy and hard working.

Although this doesn't seem to be the intention of the authors, it all adds up to the impression that we are genetically programmed to keep driving ourselves crazy with competing genetic impulses. And genetically programmed to improve ourselves for no reason, since whatever we do, have or weigh we will be just as happy now and in the future as we were when we were six. And certainly, genetically programmed to keep buying books like this and all the other sirens in the self-help section of the bookstore.

Mean Genes, by Terry Burnham & Jay Phelan, Perseus Publishing, hc, 263pp, $36.50