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Alpha Male Traits – The 13 Traits of Modern Alpha Males

Despite what your parents and teachers told you growing up, everyone was not created entirely equal. It’s hard for many people to grasp this concept because people all share the same rights and privileges and we’re taught to treat everyone nicely and not view anyone as better than someone else.

Yet, in nature, and in humans at a biological level, this is not how human behavior works. There is a clear dichotomy between males that are successful, attractive and dominant and those that aren’t.

Despite the attempt by people in our society to try and change the way human beings can interact, they can never change our biology. And even though many may try to ignore it, the successful people in this world will accept our true nature.

It all begins by understanding where you fit in the world, or better yet where you want to be.

Alpha Male Wolf

Defining the Alpha Male

In the animal kingdom, especially with mammals like primates, there is a clear dichotomy. We understand this as Alpha males and Beta Males.

The Alpha Males on the other hand have it made. They are the biggest, strongest and more fearsome males. They get first picking at food; they mate with whatever women they want when they want.

The Beta males are essentially the workers. They are willing to spend their lives working for the good of their tribe, despite the fact that they won’t ever be rewarded for it.

Another aspect of dating where Alphas differentiate themselves from Betas is when is that they don’t have a ‘scarcity mentality’. When most guys meet a pretty girl and she gives them even the slightest sign of attraction, they latch onto her and never want to let go because it may be their only shot at getting laid. They become a ‘nice guy’ and develop oneitis, that is, they become obsessed with a particular girl and believe she is special (Checkout this article over at My Supremacy for great info for getting over oneitis). Alphas on the other hand, are always flirting with women—they don’t get caught up with just one girl. This gives them an abundance mentality, and even better, it gets women chasing them!

While most men and animals would love to be the alpha Male, it is nearly always out of reach. The truth is that most men will never be conscious of their role as a Beta male, rather they’ll just go through life doing want they feel is right.

You have realized that even if you are for the most part a Beta male, you have the change to change it; primates don’t have this luxury. They don’t have books and websites to teach them how to be the leader of their pack.

Fortunately you do have this luxury.

This article is going to discuss what it means to be an Alpha male, what Alpha male traits they exhibit, and what actions you can take to become like them.

Research on Alpha Males

Check out this documentary on Alpha males by National Geographic:

You can clearly see by the behavior of these men where their status is in the animal kingdom.

It is fair to say that people are born as alpha or beta males, but that doesn’t mean people can’t change who they are. By exhibiting the characteristics of an alpha male, and changing your mindset to one of being an alpha male, you too can achieve that status.

Examples of Alpha Males

While studying the concept of the Alpha male is important in the process of becoming one, it is even more important to watch them in action.

You may know a few in real life, and if that is the case, befriend them so that you can observe their behavior more closely. Otherwise, you may want to find some in TV or film to observe of which there are plenty.

Perhaps one of the most recognizable and sought after Alpha males is James Bond. He is cool, daring, cunning, charming, smooth and more. On top of that his style is impeccable and his physique always well developed.

Check out this scene of Daniel Craig:

Cool scene where Ben Affleck sheds confidence and dominance to his workforce. The video gives move-by-move commentary on his Alpha male traits and what he does that makes him an Alpha male.

You can find other cool Alpha Male videos with commentary videos on The Alpha Male Youtube Channel

And another great, but also comical example:

Notice how he never loses his cool, displays fear, and of course takes the girl at the end.

How to Become an Alpha Male

While studying the science behind Alpha males & Alpha male traits, or watching them in action are helpful, it is not enough. If you ever wish to reach your full potential and obtain Alpha status, you must obtain an intimate understanding of this evolutionary behavior, traits and psychology.

To do so, the following traits must be studied, and then adapted to complete the process.

They’re Tall

Being taller than average comes with a host of benefits, namely that they project more dominance when in social settings. Having this dominance goes a long way as height even leads to better jobs, salaries, respect.

For example, “One study reported that full professors were .47 inches taller than associate professors, who were .26 inches taller than assistant professors, who were in turn 1.24 inches taller than the average nonacademic.” – Psychology Today

Perhaps the biggest advantage is when it comes to dating. The sexual marketplace is heavily favored towards taller men. One study of online dating, “…found that 13.5 percent of the men wanted to date only women shorter than they are. In contrast, nearly half of the women – 48.9 percent – wanted to date only men taller than they are.” – Rice Edu

Most people assume that you can’t make yourself taller, but there are actually ways to increase your height. Check out this video to see for yourself.

If you want a more detailed program, then check out: Grow Taller 4 Idiots

This detailed program will give you the precise knowledge and exercises need to add several inches to your height, giving you that powerful presence you’ve always desired.

Alphas Harness the Power of Pheromones

The field of pheromones is a new one that has piqued the interested of researchers and laymen alike. While some may scoff at this concept, it is definitive that both plants and animals produce pheromones, often for reproductive purposes. These pheromones have the ability to cause reactions in other members of the species. In humans, research has shown that, “that armpit sweat—from females or males—when placed on women’s upper lip, can modify [menstrual] cycle time.” – Scientific American

This is incredibly fascinating and the potential is great for scientific purposes, but also for those men who want to use these pheromones to their advantage. Essentially the idea is that many can use exogenous pheromones, place them on their body, and women will be attracted to the scent.

The problem that has arisen is that many of the products on the market that are being sold are bogus. Yet, if a man were to find a quality pheromone the potential for success with women would be amazing.

As far as products go, the best pheromone on the market we have found are those from Alpha Dream. They are highly reputable, well-backed and well-researched. For a more in-depth information on pheromones checkout the article: Do pheromones work?

Alpha Dream Pheromone

After the application of Alpha Dream, don’t be surprised when you start getting significantly more attraction from women, and potentially dirty looks from men. When it comes to dating though, you can’t entirely depend on pheromones, but when used wisely it’s almost too good to be true.

Exude Dominant and Attractive Body Language

You may be surprised to learn that the majority of communication is done non-verbally. This means that people, at a subconscious level, put more value on what your body says than what your mouth does.

In addition to this, learning dominant body language is essential to letting people know whose boss. It is also one of the quickest and effective ways to dominantly transform people’s perception of you.

Good body language cues include standing/sitting up straight and not fidgeting or moving quickly. But perhaps the most indicative body language cue displayed by Alpha males is taking up space. Men tend to take up a lot of space because it subconsciously fulfills their desire to assert dominance and mark territory. Also:

“Teen boys especially feel the need to assert dominance. This is because as they reach puberty and get closer to adulthood they have inner struggles with independence and their own manliness.” – Scienceofpeople.com

One of the most reputable dating gurus in the world of dating is David DeAngelo. He is the creator of the classic Double Your Dating, and has created an incredibly program on body language to accompany his original work.

How To Get Women To Notice You, Feel Attracted To You And Start Approaching You… Without Saying A Word!

DeAngelo’s work is excellent, but there is always room for more. If you really want to become an expert at both exuding and understanding body language, which this video, which provides detailed, visual explanations of everything to do with body language:

Learn how to interpret the body language of the people around you while perfecting your own nonverbal communication.

Date beautiful women

Alpha Males Date Beautiful Women

The dating is heavily skewered in favor of alpha males; that’s just the way nature intended it. Females naturally gravitate towards alpha males because they have the best genetics which women desire to pass on at a biological level.

But in addition to the attraction women have towards alpha males, these men are the ones bold enough to seduce and talk to women they find attractive. Betas naturally shy away from approaching females because they fear rejection, but alphas simply go after it no matter the outcome.

If you want to learn the exact ways to approach and attract women, you should definitely check out this course, from the Tao of Badass.

Another excellent book is Models by Mark Manson. The book breaks down attraction, emotions and relationships better than almost any other book out there.

Models

Alphas Dress to Kill

The average man dresses like a total slob. This could be because he doesn’t know much about style, but oftentimes it’s a result of just not caring about one’s appearance; this is the behavior of a beta male.

Alpha’s want to look good because they know they need to. They understand that style impacts all aspects of their life, whether it is giving a good impression to a prospective client, or seducing a sexy woman at a cocktail lounge.

While some may disregard the idea of status, the truth is that humans put a tremendous emphasis on how they perceive others. And when they see someone dressed well it communicates that status to their favor.

For those men who understand the importance of style, but don’t necessarily know how to dress well, there are plenty of resources out there. One such book is the Men’s Style Manual from Details Magazine. The book gives head-to-toe advice on style from some of the best style writers in the world!

Alpha Male Traits

They Know How to Defend Themselves

As leaders, alpha males will inevitably run into danger and confrontation and must be able to defend themselves and their tribe when it happens. This is why it is essential to no self-defense.

It goes without saying that all fights should be avoided whenever possible, but that doesn’t always happen. So when worse comes to worse, alpha males should know how to throw a proper punch, avoid a punch, learn some basic throws, headlocks etc.

Plus joining a martial arts gym is a great way to build comradery with fellow masculine men. It also provides a great workout!

They Have a Muscular Physique

Developing a big and powerful physique is one of the most dramatic ways to carve out your status as an alpha male for a number of reasons:

Testosterone: Lifting weights and carrying more muscle mass around is correlated with higher levels of testosterone. As you may know, testosterone is the hormone that makes men, men. The more testosterone you have the more confidence and charisma you’ll have throughout your daily life.

Presence: Once you ‘get big’, people are going to start taking notice. People assume that big guys are people they don’t want to mess with, and people will subconsciously submit to you.

Attractiveness: Women find men with muscular physiques very attractive; just look at the cover of a romance novel if you don’t believe it. Or see for yourself, and bulk up and notice that girls might start grabbing your arms.

Putting on muscle mass takes a lot of time and effort. And to make matters even more frustrating, the internet is rife with conflicting information from wannabee bodybuilders trying to scam people with a poorly designed product or workout program.

Elliott Hulse is a well-known name in fitness and has over 1 million YouTube subscribers! Make sure to watch as many videos of his as you can:


If you’re looking for more specific, in-depth advice then you’re going to need to buy some products on the subject. A fantastic book is  Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto. The book has rave reviews. In fact, after 400 customer reviews it has a 5 star rating!

Another fantastic program is the Muscle Maximizer. The difference with this program is that it is a customized guide that gives the trainee a complete diet and workout plan geared towards their goals, current fitness level, and availability.

Testosterone

They Have High Levels of Testosterone

To elaborate on the previous point, testosterone is basically the life blood of man. Tragically in, “recent years have seen a substantial, and as yet unrecognized, age-independent population-level decrease in T in American men, potentially attributable to birth cohort differences or to health or environmental effects not captured in observed data.”

While the causes of this are not definitively understood, it is commonly accepted that it is a result of environmental factors. If a man ever wishes to reach his full potential, he must do everything to maximize his testosterone levels.

In order to do this, there are a number of diet and lifestyle behaviors that need to be implemented. A few brief ways are:

  • Lift weights because it increases muscle mass which in turn increases T-levels
  • Avoid plastics because they are shown to be correlated to higher estrogen levels
  • Make sure to get plenty of sleep

There are also a number of supplements out there to increase these levels, but it is essential to do your research.

If you are looking for a definitive step by step program to guide you on the path to higher testosterone, than check out this program:

Triple Your Testosterone and Become Superhuman

The program is worth every penny and results are quite incredible. If this is something you’re serious about, then you must take it into consideration.

If you’re over the age of 26 checkout: Spartagen Xt

Alphas Take Risks

The most successful people in this world are the ones who aren’t afraid to take risk, whether it be for finances, travel or love.

It’s not that alpha males take risks necessarily because of the rush they may get out of it, but again, alpha males naturally pursue their dreams. And oftentimes in the course of doing that it will require a man to take a bold leap of faith, but if he is truly confident and willing to go after it then he will likely succeed.

And what’s the underlying cause for this? Testosterone, of course:

“Guys with higher testosterone levels along with manly faces are more likely to take the biggest financial risks…” – Psychology Today

While it may be that those with naturally higher levels of testosterone are more likely to take risk, it could also be said that taking risk actually increases testosterone levels.

They’re Independent and Self-Reliant

Because alpha males are natural leaders, they can’t rely on others to get them through life. In fact, others will likely look to the alpha male when they’re in trouble. But before others may ask for your help, you must become self-reliant and truly independent from all burdens.

Perhaps the most important aspect of independence is in the financial realm. Having to rely on others to help put food on the table and pay bills will do damage a man’s psyche. A man needs to be financially independent because it builds up his emotional strength. By cultivating success and independence it really helps to build a man up.

Becoming financially independent means getting rid of any excess bills, debts or other obligations; Having all these financial burdens overhead will cause undue stress to man. And on top of that, when a man is bogged down with bills and debt, he is much less likely to take financial risks which also hinders levels of testosterone.

Other aspects of self-reliance are knowing how to take care of one’s self whether it be cooking a meal, navigating through unknown areas, or healing a wound. A good way to imagine self-reliance is if you were left in the middle of the wilderness left to your own devices. Ask yourself: What would you need to know to survive?

Take some time to think about those skills, and any other skill, and begin to work on them one by one so you can become truly independent and self-reliant.

They Have a Deep Voice

Having a deep voice has been shown to demonstrate masculinity and dominance in men. In fact:

“…a new study from McMaster University has found that women are more attracted to men who have deep voices.” – The sex appeal of a deep voice

What causes a deep voice? You guessed it, Testosterone. In fact, that same study found that women associate men with deep voices with higher testosterone levels and more defined masculine features.

You may not know it, but the ability to change your voice tone is actually quite feasible. It’s simply a matter of seeking out a person with your desired voice tone and emulating them. Practice manipulating your vocal chords, and definitely talk slowly until you have the voice down.

Here’s a great video from fitness guru Elliott Hulse on manipulating your vocal chords:

If you’re looking for more depth on this subject, then consider getting this audio course from Roger Love, which is exactly what you need to learn how to get that smooth, silky deep voice.

He emphasizes the importance of speaking with authority and clarity, which also translate into a perception of being an alpha male, along with a deeper tone of voice.

Alphas Exude Charisma

If you look at the most successful people in this world they often share one common trait: Charisma.

To be charismatic is to be charming, inviting, and likeable. It means drawing people into your sphere of influence. Being charismatic is so valuable because it seems to grab people’s attention entirely. If you find yourself with any defaults that often grab people’s attention, charisma will draw them away from it.

Alpha males must be charismatic because in order for them to be a leader they must garner the attention and admiration of their peers.

Becoming charismatic may take time if you find you aren’t naturally that way. Though with plenty of work, it can definitely become a reality.

The reason becoming charismatic seems so difficult is that because it seems to require some intangible qualities. Well, in the book The Charisma Myth, Olivia Fox breaks down the steps in amazing detail.

How to look younger for men

They Know How to Handle People

The ability to read people and diffuse situations is a distinct skillset from seduction and charisma. Yet it is a skill that needs to treated with just as much attention.

As an Alpha male, it is your job to protect your ‘tribe’. Perhaps this means protecting a wife or girlfriend from a drunk guy on a night out, or an angry customer who can’t calm down. People don’t like to step up in these situations, but a dominant Alpha male is driven to do so.
Diffusing a situation doesn’t mean beating your chest and flexing your muscles (always). It means being calm and collected, as well as assertive in order to resolve a conflict.

A classic book on the subject is People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts by Robert Bolton. The book explores verbal and non-verbal cues on how to assertively communicate a point, to often hostile individuals.

Additional Resources

These aforementioned traits should give you an excellent start on your path to becoming an Alpha, but the journey doesn’t end there. It will require quite a bit of research through reputable books and programs.

One such book is No More Mr. Nice Guy by Robert Glover. This is a well-regarded classic that encourages men to stop being pushovers and ‘Yes Men’ and to start asserting their masculinity

Moving Forward

The articles and resources provided to you in this article are just about anything a man could ask for in terms of becoming an Alpha male, but you must know that reading is not enough. Becoming successful in any endeavor is about taking action and putting what you learned into practice.

The best approach for this type of situation is to go through and analyze how you currently stack up on all the traits listed. Identify your biggest weak points and areas of insecurity and give preference to those areas.

Know that this is not a quick fix, but with patience and a concerted effort, these immutable laws will help you become a true, dominant Alpha male and allow you to live the life you always desired.

Other Recommended Resources 

How To Increase Testosterone Naturally & Become An Alpha Monster!

What do you think?

Written by Terrence Kennedy

Terrence Kennedy is the man’s man on a journey to self-discovery. A traveler, extreme sports aficionado, an observant wanderer, a DIY-Know-How, an ultimate outsider and a documentarist of culture, sex, dating, relationship, fashion, style and gentleman's etiquette. He has learned a lot through his escapades, and is happy to pass that knowledge on to you.