This shouldn't need saying, but apparently it does. Humans are not dogs. [On Alphas]

[starfyredragon]

The Alpha male - the head of the pack. It's an image that's captured the minds of people. Strong, confident, big... hairy, slobbering, aggressive, a long muzzle, eats its own poop...

Humans are not dogs. Every species on this planet is different when it comes to 'what is Alpha' and 'Alpha' means the one the pack is the most likely to revolve around, follow the lead of, and mate with.

With ants, the Alpha is a female who just sits on her but all day while the other ants pamper her as she produces the most children she possibly can, and it's a lifelong role determined before she has a say.

With geese, the Alpha is the one that flies in front, taking the brunt of the wind for the others, and the alpha changes by the minute.

With deer, the Alpha is the one that stands the most ready to protect the others, and is always read to alert and warn the others of danger.

A real master of disguise

With Canines, the Alpha is the biggest one most capable of fighting, the more aggressive one that is better at catching food to feed the pack with.

Humans... are not dogs. Humans are apes.

Studying Bonobos and Chimps, our closest relatives, we can easily see what an Alpha human is. First off, an Alpha human can be either gender. The leader of the tribe is not the biggest, but the one most skilled at keeping the pack functioning. It is the wise elder or the younger peacemaker that can keep fights from breaking out. We see this in studies of our closest relatives all the time, that the one the pack follows is the one who calms the fights; the one that gets the most mates is the one most sympathetic to the needs of the community and the other apes around them. It is very rarely the strongest or the most aggressive - these ones are usually directed by the Alpha to where they are needed. It is not the most maternal - although it helps, the alpha often has to make hard decisions.

The Alpha ape is the most socially savvy and most world-aware ape.

[rjroy3]

An Alpha Male is simply a leader of men. No more. No less. That can take a variety of forms depending on the culture/environment/situation and so on, but ultimately the alpha Male is that guy.

Not sure I see the value in trying to ignore something that happens before our eyes, rather than seeking to understand it. Sure, humans aren't dogs. So? An alpha Male human isn't going to look like an alpha Male dog. It's a different set of needs, tools available, environment and so on.

The people who most want to convince themselves that alpha/beta males don't exist are a handful of women, who don't like douche bags who actually do like strong, confident leaders (real alpha males) and beta males who aren't remotely close to having leader qualities which would rather make themselves feel better to say alpha males don't exist.

Shitting on the alpha/beta model isn't going to improve your situation or get you women. And shitting on the alpha/beta model isn't going to make douchebags go away. Let's all just be reasonable and use the scientific method.

[starfyredragon]

I always find it funny how 'confident alpha males' are so insecure about the idea of alpha males being threatened.

[rjroy3]

If that's how you choose to view it

[JustWorthlessMe]

exactly usually the guy who thumps his chest the loudest is the biggest pussy in the room

[rjroy3]

@JustWorthlessMe vast majority of the time

[elissa23Trans]

I think it’s ridiculous to put labels like this on people. There are good guys and testosterone-poisoned dicks who would do anything to make someone else’s life more difficult. End of the story. Be tolerant, no need to be alpha , beta , gamma , dzeta , eta , theta , iota , kappa , gamma or whatever else.

[White-American89]

In the animal kingdom: a physical form of dominance over other males. The alpha male lion claims sexual rights to all females, fights off other male lions to force it, eats first after every hunt and dominates the land for hunting rights.
Aspects of a human alpha male: a) ability to protect oneself (rarely senselessly endangering oneself) b) leading others c) being a successful speaker that can persuade people with his logic d) not being afraid of confrontations such as arguments e) high social intelligence f) very high work ethic and drive to succeed; a strong desire to produce, earn, and excel (debunking the theory of the playboy who's mildly retarded with no skills and work ethic) g) a strong desire to shape one's environment rather than be shaped by it. This often means being direct about your desires, intentions, and needs with the opposite sex. h) being the exact opposite of a loser (a failure monetarily and socially) i) promoting survival and good genetics while refraining from jealousy, passive aggressive SWPL and IBS tactics
The vast majority of men are very indirect about their desires sexually. Many women who date so-called alpha males are essentially completely unskilled in the field of fellatio, demonstrating that they were really dating passive beta males. The common belief that all attractive women exclusively date alpha males is patently false; all attractive women would be world class in all sexual endeavors if that was the case.
Guy 1: Why do so many men on the internet blame their failures with women on the women themselves? Guy 2: A real alpha male takes responsibility for his actions. He doesn't blame women for his failures with them. After all, women are the consumer of your shlong and it is his job to produce a product that has value and is worth buying.
Guy 1: Why are so many self-proclaimed alpha males so bitter, angry, and dogmatic? Guy 2: An alpha male does not let his emotions overcome him and only believes things if he has crystal clear evidence to do so. The emotional nature and dismissive attitudes of most people online dismiss them from being alphas. Guy 1: Men who passive aggressively belittle other people in an attempt to one-up them are often mistaken for alpha males. Unfortunately, this is social proof failing their deceptive façade.
Guy 1: Why isn't physical dominance #1 in being an alpha? Guy 2: picking fights often is a sign of hostility, higher stress levels and causes a lower life expectancy. Surviving and passing on genes is the most alpha possible thing and not surviving for very long is as beta as possible. Overtly aggressive men rarely command the respect of their peers.
Guy 1: Why do most alpha males have penis sizes that are only slightly above average? Guy 2: Because most people are close to the average, and being genetically lucky to cause FCE often doesn't lead to much personal development.

[englisc]

I think that many people take those terms too literally. Most people know that in reality there's no "alpha/beta" in humans - it's not meant to be taken literally. It's just a word used to describe certain kinds of guys mainly.

When someone says alpha you think of a guy who is confident, intelligent, strong (whether physically or mentally) - a guy with leadership qualities. When someone says beta you think of a guy who is more timid, reserved, not that strong, passive, without leadership qualities.

I've seen people describe soldiers as "alphas". How can a whole group of soldiers all be alpha when they're being led by somebody of a higher rank? By definition the alpha is the leader of a group. The same goes for calling any individual an "alpha" - he can't possible be an alpha if he isn't leading anybody else.

What people really mean when they say the above is that those guys have leadership skills. In the right situations those guys would be able to take the lead in ways others couldn't. They aren't literally "alphas".

[GuidoThePizzaMaker]

I think in humans, we are situational alphas

If the situation calls for a leader who is strong, the group will turn to the strongest guy
If the situation needs brains, they will turn to the smartest

[TheIceManCometh]

It is the same exact thing Donald Trump is an Alpha Male. Tony Soprano, John Gotti, John Wayne you get the idea. Humans are a lot like animals in many ways. Some of us roll with a pack just like Wolves. Some of us are the lone wolf and we have each and every instinct than an animal has. We just are better at holding back more than they are.

[JustWorthlessMe]

lol the levels of sad in that statement

[DianaWest]

ugh, I don't care as long as he's kind, smart, funny, and hot.

[FýrdracaDócincel]

I didn't read because that's not the point of the terminology.

Congratulations on wasting your own time making yourself look stupid.

[valentine74]

Werewolves right
Wearmonkeys wrong
The wolf turns into a man with wolf action

[Anonymous]

More interestingly, even dogs aren’t like that.

[zagor]

Not all dogs eat shit...

[Secretgardenblood]

Good take:))

[KandyKane1]

Hmmmm