this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2024
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Science Memes

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submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 120 points 8 months ago (4 children)

There are no human alphas. Without each other we're all weak ass bitches. Just look at the series "Alone". Even the most rugged outdoorsmen absolutely get fucked hard when they are alone.

We're a social species. Our strength is our cooperation. Anyone who thinks he's above the rest kicking ass all alone is just a moron.

[–] [email protected] 106 points 8 months ago (3 children)

There's no wolf alphas in nature neither. It's an old and debunked theory based on studying captive wolves.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-alpha-wolf-idea-a-myth/

[–] [email protected] 88 points 8 months ago (4 children)

To be absolutely clear to anyone who hasn't read about this; it was debunked by the same guy who came up with it in the first place!

The dude studied wolves in captivity, drew conclusions about their behaviour, then applied those studies to wolves in the wild and discovered that he'd got it all wrong. The behaviours that he observed in captive wolves were all stress responses.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Because he’s a good scientist. He followed the evidence, ran a different experiment to test his findings, and followed the evidence again.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago

Absolutely. He had the courage to question his own assumptions when they were challenged by new evidence. Everyone could stand to learn from him.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

So, what I'm hearing is that there are human alpha males... but only in prisons. That checks out.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 8 months ago

No no you've got it backwards. Those are just stress responses. Human alphas do exist but you have to put them in the wild with a hungry pack of wolves.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

To be fair, the alpha male thing in humanity is also a stress response.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

Well then I'm alpha as fuck.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Didn't he also put a bunch of adolescent wolves together for that? It was basically a lupine Lord of the Flies in there.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I found this too be quite interesting:

Toxoplasmosis and Wolves

To me, this makes all the "I'm an alpha, like a wolf" bumble even funnier. Nah, you're just a cat person with poop on the brain.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

That is an interesting article, thanks for sharing!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Not joining the whole alpha thing but where does alpha get described as lone?

Meme Alphas are purported to be top dog but they still run with a pack

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago

True. Though I’ll add, none of these people actually are leaders in their friend group or community. They think that being an aggressive ahole makes them a leader when real leadership tends to be about gently convincing people that they want to do what you want done or that they should do it anyways

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

What? Someone making sense about the social evolution of humans? Not on my internet!