This text takes a 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, the endless search for love and happiness. It reveals that the struggles for self-improvement are battles against our own genes, the genes that helped our ancestors flourish but are selfish and out of place in an industrial world. Burnham and Phelan don't simply describe the connections between genes and behaviour; they offer steps for improving the quality of our lives.