Darwinian Happiness: Evolution as a Guide for Living and Understanding Human Behavior

There is actually a growing interest in applying the biological/evolutionary perspective to medical and social sciences, as exemplified by concepts such as Darwinian Medicine and Evolutionary Psychology. While the former focuses on the prevention of diseases, Darwinian Happinmess is about utilizing this perspective to improve well-being in general.

Our great feats of engineering, from building the pyramids to sending a man to the moon, have been the easy tasks; the real challenge in shaping the future of Planet Earth lies in dealing with human nature. We have the power to turn our planet into a living nightmare and a biological refuse dump, but it is also within our capacity to create conditions of living better than those we ever had. The principle of Darwinian Happiness is meant to offer a guide for living that not only benefits the individual and should thus be coveted but also works for the benefit of the society and our planet.

Darwinian Happiness is written for a general audience as well as for professionals interested particularly in evolutionary psychology, behavioral biology, sociobiology, and happiness studies. It should also be read by politicians.

All in all the book does a very good job at explaining what it means to be human, why we have evolved a capacity to enjoy life in general, and things like art and music in particular. One recurring recommendation is that we should try to adapt the way we live to the way we are designed to live. By heeding this advice, we are likely to obtain better health both mentally and physically.

Above the entrance to the ancient Oracle of Delphi was written "know thyself". This book on Darwinian Happiness allows you to follow that advice. It is the best book on the biology of human behavior that I have read. I urge you to try it.


A Guide for Happiness!   November 7, 2003
Jane L. Murvin (East Jordan, MI United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Bjorn Grinde not only explains the nature of being human, he goes beyond that and uses this knowledge to offer advice as to how to improve your quality of life. The resulting concept of Darwinian happiness makes a lot of sense. It offers a way of pursuing happiness that may benefit not only the individual, but also society.

Happiness can be found by tuning in to the potential we all have for positive feelings. It does not require spending a lot of money and it is better served by being kind to people rather than being mean. As to the latter, the author points out that gregariousness and compassion give more joy than aggression.

Sociability evolved relatively late in our lineage at a time when features in the brain were added by coupling them with brain rewards in the form of positive feelings. Our aggressive tendencies, on the other hand, are evolutionarily-speaking very old and are, therefore, more instinctive and, to a less extent, coupled with positive sensations.

The book is entertaining and easy to read. It can be highly recommended. I truly wish this book had been required reading in my college psychology and sociology classes.