How Do You Become an “Alpha Male”?

According to nature, you’re doing it all wrong. Here’s the real strategy used by wolves, chimpanzees, and bonobos.

A wolf, looking rather sad. Why are you sad, Mr. Wolf? Is it because people don’t understand that the concept of an alpha male is outmoded and obsolete? Photo by Tahoe.

Have you ever heard of the concept of the “alpha”? In studies of social animals, the alpha is considered to be the dominant animal of the group. In most animal groups, there will be an alpha male and an alpha female; together, they form the dominant pair.

The concept has been around since the 1970s, when it became popularized by researcher L. David Mech, who studied wolves and wrote about his observations of their pack structure. Since that time, it’s been observed in various other groups, including primates, wild dogs, and big cats.

There’s also been a push to apply the concept to people. The concept has been used in a myriad of different situations, by everyone from sales trainers to pick-up artists. By becoming an alpha, you can demonstrate your dominance, become a leader, and make yourself more attractive — or so claim the many self-help books, websites, and “gurus” who teach this philosophy.

Unfortunately, the base claim — that the idea of an aggressive, dominating “alpha male” is a concept from nature, seen in wild populations — is totally wrong.

How Does a Wolf Become an Alpha Male?