Is there anything you'd add to this perspective on 'alpha males'?

Anyone that claims to be an alpha isn't.

The term was originally coined by American Biologist David Mech in the 70s, specifically regarding wolf social structures. He later rejected the idea once research brought to light that wolf pack hierarchy is familial rather than based on any kind of trait - the mother and father wolf co-dominate the pack and as the younger wolfs grow, then split off and form their own packs. So, even the meaning for which the term was originally designated is already meaningless.

Frans de Waal died a week ago due to cancer. It's good he did this interview and shared his thoughts and perspectives before his death.

"Empathy is the core of human morality " Supremely underrated insight.

Anyone who declares themselves 'Alpha' automatically broadcasts their insecurity anyway, if you have to remind people that you consider yourself 'in charge', you probably aren't in charge.

Also an interesting book of Frans de Waal: "Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are?"

Absolutely - something we have totally forgotten in our society - leadership and power is about looking after your group, not exploiting them. Certainly, you can exploit and bully people if you want to have 'authority', but at the first opportunity, your group will drop you like a stone, and there'll be no help on the way down.

This video really made me think of my dad..Growing up and now even more I see the way my dad is held with so much respect by the men & women around him (he has a lot of associates& friends). I truly feel if I’ve ever seen a human “alpha” it’d be someone like my him. He checks most boxes In this video. Highly empathetic and what I consider to be a gentle leader. people come to him for advise & guidance. he’s got lived experience to back his words, Is honest without being rude and has a way about him that pulls people in when he speaks. I love that guy. Maybe I’m biased !hahaha

So the alpha in the group reflects the group's values. If the group values cruelty and aggression, they will follow a bully, but if the group values empathy and fairness, they will follow a leader.

The biggest and most essential point in this video is that being “alpha”, aka the top of the social hierarchy, does not mean to be an assh*le. Usually these people will self proclaim alpha without garnering the respect needed. You can be a good person while having a strong will and sometimes it takes a strong willingness to do a harsh thing for the good of the social group. It does not mean you beat down everyone around you, it means to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of others and having them fulfill the roles they are best suited for

I'm such an alpha. I told my boss to step down because he wasn't an alpha... I got fired.

I’m from an African country and an alpha male in my community is a man that is compassionate, reliable, trustworthy and protective of his family and people. Someone that is respected and everyone knows that when he’s around every manly task/chore will be completed. He is kind and respectful also. For instance if there’s a traditional ceremony, he will be the one to slaughter the animal, help with everything needed for the guests to feel comfortable like assemble stretch tents, chairs, pick up guests that might need to be picked up from specific locations, butcher the meat, buy groceries, etc.. The one that’s always talkative, promiscuous, a bully and arrogant is often considered useless.

Being an alpha doesn't mean being an a**hole. People really don't get that.

Alpha is decided by the group, so defining an individual as alpha not only tells us about the said individual, but also reflects the culture of the society

Alpha males were first mentioned by Swiss wolf expert and ethologist Rudolf Schenkel, in 1947. The term was further promoted for wolves by David Mech before he began to question it. But now the term is back, also for wolves. There is, for example, an entire books series about alpha wolves by Rick McIntire, who studied the species in Yellowstone for 40 years, starting with “The Rise of Wolf 8.” His books convey the same message as I give in this interview: the personalities of alpha wolves vary greatly, there are nice ones and brutal ones.

Alpha male = "I have no idea what it means to be a man, so I will pretend to be one"

I’m the equestrian world, the Alpha Mare myth was a thing for a long time, then later it was concluded that “leadership” was fluid and contextual. For example, it wasn’t that the horse leading others to water was a mare and therefore “Alpha Mare”, but simply that the horse leading others to water tended to be a pregnant and exceptionally *thirsty* horse. Situational not “leadership” and certainly not a “dominance hierarchy.” But this myth drove popular horsemanship programs for decades. Today, researchers conclude we see “dominance hierarchies” in domestic groups because they are competing for resources in a dysfunctional setting… a setting they did not evolve for. (E.g. small space, delivered “meals” rather than grazing, etc.)

The study on Wolves did get appropriate results *for a prison environment.* The wolves _weren't from the same pack,_ this was not a family and friends unit. The researcher bought wolves from all over and just threw them in together. A bunch of strangers all captured and thrown together in a cage where the toughest calls the shots through threats (and actual) violence is a prison environment. It's not really applicable to say everyday social interactions… … _*looks at the dysfunction in current American culture and ponders._

"You may want to be an alpha male, but if your surrounding people don't see you as that, it's not going to happen."

An alpha male isn’t someone who brings other people down, it’s someone who lifts other people up.

Empathy is the glue of society. Nice.

Unfortunately alpha males aren't broadcasting on social media or influencers.... Just be a male and protect lives

This takes me back to my banking career. I never felt like I belonged in the corporate world, but I lasted over a decade because I knew exactly what my job was, how to excel at it, and simply treated my coworkers with respect. I started from the very bottom as a paid intern at 15, and spent my 20s in charge of branch ops, vault keeping, and audits. I was regarded as a natural leader. I was even nicknamed "The Boss", despite me being relatively low on the totem pole. Occasionally a new hire would think it was some kind of joke; how could this quiet, soft-spoken, bookish, effeminate (the term they use these days is non-binary, which is accurate in retrospect) person possibly be the one that everyone defers to? I did my job, and did it extremely well. When I worked on the retail side, I was kind and charming with clients; people remember how you make them feel, and react accordingly. But I never sugarcoated things when it came to following procedures, nor did I try to sell them things they didn't need. Clients could tell I knew what I was doing, and appreciated my honesty and efficiency. Switching to ops was a huge relief for me; all the rules were right there in black and white, with no gray areas for customer service issues. Whenever there was a balancing issue or a procedure that needed to be done/taught quickly and accurately, I was right there. If I found an error, I'd tell them directly how to fix it, and expect them to learn and do better next time. Plain and simple. The others trusted me implicitly, both working in the front and on breaks behind the scenes. I was bored out of my mind on most days, so I spent my spare time quietly reading and keeping to myself. For whatever reason, other members of the staff would come to me privately at lunch and talk about what was going on with them, how their day was going, what their stresses and fears were, what drama they were dealing with, etc. I guess they understood that I'd just listen to them without passing judgement or getting involved in office politics. One of which was actually a new manager; she was a year younger than me, intelligent, motivated, and ambitious. The others were intimidated by her (someone nicknamed her The Shark Lady), but not me. I could tell that she was trying to make a strong first impression despite this being her first managerial assignment. One night on that first week, we had to stay late to count the vault, and the buses had stopped running by the time we were done. She drove me home, and we started talking. I asked her what kind of interests she had outside of work, and she plainly said, "Nothing, work is the only thing that matters." She was still trying to put on the strong act. I sighed and said, "I see. That's sad." She gave me a look of confusion, but didn't say anything else about it. Over the next couple of weeks, I would catch her staring at me, and the scowl would disappear for a moment. Whenever we happened to have the same lunchtime scheduled and it was just the two of us, she always seemed to lighten up. She understood that she didn't have to put on the act for me. Eventually, it reached a point where whenever we stayed late to count the vault, she'd immediately cheer up when the others left. We'd put on music and sing as we did the work; she was quite fond of Journey. Of course, there were plenty of gossip and rumors, and the others made sure we had plenty of alone time. But nothing ever went that far; we both kept it professional, and parted on good terms. By the end of my career, I had worked with over a hundred staff members, had more experience than my final team combined, and helped teach some of my own managers. However, I suffered a severe mental breakdown as a result of depression over numerous issues in my personal life, as well as the company putting us in danger during the Occupy Wall Street movement. That whole thing would have to be an entirely separate post, and I won't go into that unless someone asks. I was well-respected, but they were justifiably worried. Despite everything I had done, I was forced into therapy (which saved my life), and was not allowed to return until I got better. Corporate health care covered 3 sessions, and I saw my first therapist for 6 months. After I had _just_ regained enough hope to live, I was unceremoniously terminated over the phone. After all, it's cheaper to get rid of an experienced, well-payed employee and replace them with someone younger who won't question anything. So after all of that, I ended up with nothing. So much for the "natural leader."

A message to “alphas” everywhere: If you think you’ll flip her wig, just because you’re talking big, the only word for you is “pig”.

This talk somehow made me feel better about our species. Thank you, Dr. de Waal.

People can get to the top quickly with cruelty but they almost never last. If you wanna be a great leader then you have to have empathy and fairness respect, because that is what satisfies the group of people and creates loyalty and lasting cooperation. The alpha gorillas and monkeys give the most hugs of any other males

The answer is almost always “variability “ , “it depends” “sometimes yes, sometimes no” - I wish the internet society could better communicate that. Unfortunately we’re all caught it opposite extremes. But I do notice that in person, we can see nuance so much easier. It’s difficult to have disdain for someone up close.

fear seems to be the glue of our society

This whole alpha male thing has similarities to girls being into star signs. Oh look I'm such an alpha male == Oh look I'm such a scorpio

It's weird to me how no one in the comments is pointing out how the point of discussion went from the origins and definition of the term Alpha Male. To how men and women have vastly overexaggerated biological differences, and that gender is a spectrum defined by how masculine or feminine an individual feels. What does any of that have to do with an alpha male? By definition we are talking about males here no? Seems like a very strange deviation from the topic to me, but maybe im too ignorant to see the correlation.

"Empathy is the glue of our society."

captain America, batman and a host of other "hero" characters are always kind and protect those weaker than them, often at the cost to themselves

Genetically, we are equally close to chimps and bonobos. Chimpanzees and bonobos share 99.6% of dna with humans. This guy just showed that chimp alpha males are actually collaborative and empathetic. And for bobobos, the alpha males are actually female. So yeah, he did contradict the popular misconception that the alpha male has to be male and a bully.

People misunderstood the word "alpha" and just took it to mean "bully" as he says, but the term just basically means "LEADER" or "Top ranking person"

I very much like his analysis of sex and gender in primates, and how we should learn from their ‘no fuss’ attitude.

Not y'all posting this after Andrew tate gets arrested😂

I wonder if self-described alpha males are aware of how often women make fun of them behind their backs, thinking they're compensating for an inferiority complex. Anyone who doesn't want to be seen as an arrogant fool or an insecure loser desperate to prove something should probably stay away from the term. Even 'sigma' is becoming a stand-in for alpha among those who want the silly sense of pride without the stink of the terminology. But hey, I still love watching sigma edits of popular characters.

Thank you for this clarification. Too many men see "alpha male" as a man who is a bullying misogynist toward women, who refuses to view others as equals, with zero self-reflection or humility. They think being a jerk and calling themselves "alpha" will make them so, while a real alpha doesn't need to say the words.

Alpha male and female always struck me as a complete crock.

I remember reading somewhere that typically “alpha” behavior was a sign of parents having young children and protecting them. Curious to see if this video elaborates in that

Happy to see this in print and in bio format. Thanks for showing this clarity on a subject that has caused harmed and gaslighting damage to so many. This doc need shared broadly.

He explained what an alpha male is in less that 1 minute and 25 seconds. I thought that I would have to "debunk" his opinion. However, he got it absolutely right.

Archetypes exist. Changing the label doesn't change the fact that we can observe these social hierarchies everywhere. Behind every stereotype is some modicum of truth. Competency, hyperproductivity, leadership etc. tend to come with certain personality traits. Why does this arouse so much anger? 🤔

I would like to see the long version of this interview. I don't think this 8 min summary does the topic justice

The less I think we are a highly evolved species, the more empathy I am capable of.

He lost me at the gender part...

“You may want to be an alpha male, but if your surrounding people don’t see you like that, it’s not going to happen”. Same could be said for being a man or a woman.

He said people usually refer to alpha males as a bully. I don't believe I've ever heard that. People usually refer to bullies as bullies. Alpha males are usually referred to as a joke.

I was so fascinated by him and his findings, but just discovered that he had passed away in March. Rest in Peace, Frans de Waal🐒 Your scientific legacy lives on!

A lot of males and some females too think being an alpha or self-proclaiming to be an alpha means you have access to the best of everything and that you can order people around. Anybody that people gravitate to because of the person's will power, strong sense self identity, ability to help the downtrodden and a general sense of service for a greater good..... should be considered an alpha.....instead of all this sexualized methods of identifying or classing individuals.

Prof de Wall, I found your TED talk on Alpha males part way through the Trump administration. I immediately picked up on your insight and have pointed out ever since how he is antithetical to the notion of being an alpha. Learning this was very encouraging to me. Thank you VERY much for this insight. Btw, I'm also now reading your book, "Mama's Last Hug." I'm learning a lot from it, and from you. 💖

Reading comments, eating popcorn, waiting for my spaceship to pick me up. 👽🚀🍿

I believe in leadership, earning respect, or even in being so personally effective and self-sufficient that you don't need much in community to get by. In my experience being empathetic, capable, and charismatic is much closer to 'alpha male' than being an aggressive freak or a showboater, but aggressive freaks have their place.

We didn't so much "debunk" Alpha Male as "define" Alpha Male.

Oh, so alpha males don't traffic humans? Hear that Andrew Tate?

fam he literally speaking facts , when he said its a social construct of society i was like bro no lies straight scientific facts i wish people understood this more.

Beautifully edited! I really want to know which software is this edited on?, how much time did it take to edit this? and is this a one man job?

Andrew Tate fans in shambles right now

He can debunk the Alpha male myth but he's gonna have a hard time debunking the Sigma male myth

A biologist who thinks sex has nothing to do with gender? 😧

Any man who must say “I am the King” is no king

Im so glad to hear these thoughts of a person who studies the subject, and who is not somebody who just hears, it takes it, runs with it, and bashes people with it.

When a negative thought has you in its undertow, break the circuit. Interrupt the pattern simply by breathing in. Focus your attention elsewhere until the negative thought no longer owns you. You own it. And you can decide what to do with it. Journal. Walk. Have a conversation with it. Treat it with compassion. Your breath will buy you these options and many more.

Many years ago, when I was young, I went into a bookstore that was closing down to peruse their heavily discounted books. I picked one for $2.99 (I still have the book, and the price tag is still on it) that sounded interesting. It was called Chimpanzee Politics. I loved the book and came to know Mama, Nikki, Spin, Wouter, and the rest. Dandy was my favorite. I never expected to see the name Frans de Waal again. A couple of years ago I happened upon a TEDTalk by de Waal about chimpanzee morality. I use this video in my classroom when we examine the origins of morality. I 'm glad he has set the record straight (as all good science should). I think there's a lot for humans to learn from his discoveries on now primal morality apparently is. Mama, perhaps the most powerful of her Arnhem Zoo community in Chimpanzee politics, died just recently (2016). I was amazed that a chimp from so far back in my life had still been alive all those years.

Is there a longer version of this?

After he said how gender variability isn't an issue in non-human primate societies, I'm thinking that gender variability in itself is not so much a problem in our societies as that the people garnering power will use any difference (race, religion, mental illness, etc.) to create divisiveness and fear in their followers to increase their own power.

How to be an Alpha in three easy steps: 1. Watch "Avatar - The Last Airbender". 2. Observe the character of Uncle Iroh. 3. Use him as a role model for life.

Thank you for this video. I always thought myself as a beta male from the media I've surrounded myself in. However, in the Air Force my airmen and other colleagues would consider me as an Alpha and I never understood why.

We need to resolve these problems as men and women together and as a global community... The single most important thing to create more Peace on Earth is fostering empathy... Understanding and sharing the feelings of others can lead to Compassion, Tolerance, and ultimately, a more Peaceful Coexistence ... Empathy forms the foundation for resolving many of these conflicts ... Empathy promotes more understanding for EVERYONE to work towards a more harmonious life in all global communities ... Please help promote more Peace on Earth 🌎 Not more war ✌️

I LOVE it! In this "Alpha Male Myth debunk" The Alpha is not a dictator, but still has to be the strongest to protect the group

What did we debunk here? I think it's well known that the alpha male is well liked and charismatic. It just seems we focus on the potential negative traits that come from being in that position than the positive ones

Debunked ? Defined, more like.

as a filipin we have no problem with people that has a different gender identity. What makes us feel irritated is when they began to get entitled and loud about it.

Came here to learn actual science on male competence and how to be better, ended up, not surprisingly, being taught that genders are not that different from each other.

It's strange how much energy people put into debunking an issue of semantics, and a misinterpretation of what people really mean who are using the term be it correctly, or incorrectly simply because they don't like the terms being used. The concept of a leader is not and has never been a position one can appoint to themselves, but is bestowed upon an individual by others, and even though there are people out there that consider themselves leaders that are not, does not negate the fact that leaders in groups and societies exist.

Excellent piece and research, I've forever been interested in the 2nd place of social constructs, the wannabe. How that relationship holds or doesn't, a bit like peace time, no wars, but one is coming.

Whoever did the sound design for this video LOVES camera sounds.

I had the pleasure of sitting in on a talk Dr. de Waal gave at a research center I worked at in Atlanta years ago. He was great then and nothing has changed. Love this guy and his research!

So fascinating! And what an important read. I Ordered the book right away ❤

He doesn't mention the enormous difference between us and the other animals that we are self conscious. We know we are alive and that we are going to die. We have a sense of self. Hence we are consumed by the idea of identity and this is behind our destructive nature.

@bigthink what’s the name of that structure behind the guy talking?

He didn’t really debunk anything except alpha males aren’t necessarily bullies… which we knew?

Speaking among males, the whole concept of dominance between alphas and betas is ridiculously useless. The defining line is between men who choose to govern themselves to the highest degree and those who don't. That's where it's drawn. It becomes so obvious when you see this, because true "Alphas", don't go around parading that fact. No words, you see it in their actions, because they are too busy chasing perfection within themselves, that at the same time persuades others to do the same around them.

This really says a lot about how empathy is truly a glue of society. 👍🌆

Great breakdown by Frans. The issue with the alpha male term I find is that there isn’t one definition 1) Some say you have to lead, in particular a family so are single men capable of being alphas? 2) Someone who takes charge and leads others but do my methods have to matter? If I take charge like Genghis Khan, am I not a alpha because of the violent means to get power and control

It's not about being alpha it's about being assertive, confident and proud to be productive male.

This was a fantastic lecture. Thank you. Quite eye-opening.

I'm happy for this clarity on an "Alpha." Often times people think the Alpha is the "tough" person who likes to jump into things and make irrational decisions without thinking. There are times in marriages and families where the wife is the real alpha and she makes the dad feel like he's the alpha because of his insecurities and weak ego.

I've noticed that whenever someone attempts to "debunk" the concept of the alpha male, they end up "debunking" what, at least amongst those who systematically study human sociosexual hierarchies, very few mean by that term.

In my experience, the alpha is the one that everybody wants to hang out with, the one whose opinions and compliments are most valued, the one who throws a party and everyone comes.

Kind of makes sense that a person "debunking" alpha male looks like that. :^)

What a great and highly relevant video. Talking about alphas (leaders) and gender spectrum, Well explained and showing that what matters for a successful leadership, SHOULD be based on empathy first. I wonder if animals will also manipulate others in order to undeservedly become the alpha, the leader and if so why. If not there’s an argument to make that we’re more stupid than other conscious beings, voting for power loving individuals who sell you what they would do for society and who clearly wish to lead to become our leaders, rather than those with empathy who automatically become loved and respected for what they’ve already done. In my school I remember the “class president” was voted between all students, so anyone could end up winning the vote not just those who wanted to. We were not forced to take “the job” and now it seems to me this system is better than any voting system I know of.

Well as a intern in two big companies in the netherland but i have a great experience with people from higher position. You can talk to them and they are kind to give to advice. The people who are more likely to be mean aren’t that good in there position the people that were the most competent are humble because they don’t need to prove that they are competent because they are confident in the field or ability

I willfully skipped many videos with a tag line or a thumbnail having "Aplha male"because I hated and I don't know why I hated. Finally an eye opening video what true Aplha male is to the reverse of what others think

"He who cannot be a good follower, cannot be a good leader" Aristotle

There are many different kinds of alphas, or leaders. Some are a holes, and others are more chill. Some can be humorous while others more intellectual. These are just different personalities but still both exhibiting a prominent position in the social hierarchy. People shouldn't get hung up on the alphabro culture stuff. There are many different kinds of leaders out there, like them or not.

I cringe when guys call themselves alpha males

One thing I've learned over the years is that is someone is telling you they are an alpha male, they are not an alpha male.

Every term is thrown around loosely today...it's important to point out there are cultures that are more stringent with terms... you can't just say you're something you're not.