Do We Need To Be So Screwed Up?!: A New Evolutionary Perspective on Happiness

Modern life is full of problems - in individuals and in society too. Increasingly we see damaged and disturbed children, mental health problems, addictions of many kinds, antisocial behavior, and crime, violence and war. So it seems sensible to ask: does life have to be this way? Was it always like this for human beings? We’ve been around for maybe as much as two million years: surely we didn’t evolve to live such difficult and dysfunctional lives? Do We Need To Be So Screwed-Up?! sets out to discover the answer to this question – and finds plentiful evidence to show that, on the contrary, human beings evolved to be naturally egalitarian, cooperative, and peaceful. Indeed, for over 95% of our history – until about 10,000 years ago - that is how we were: kind, cheerful and happy! This is a paradigm-busting re-evaluation of human nature and our potential for happiness.

Suki Pryce BSc, MPhil, is a former university lecturer with a life-long interest in indigenous peoples, mind body spirit matters, and what simpler cultures have to teach us today.