The Alpha Male Myth | Endless Thread

Credits:

Episode producer: Frannie Monahan

Co-hosts: Ben Brock Johnson, Amory Sivertson

Show producers: Samata Joshi, Dean Russell, Grace Tatter, and Emily Jankowski.

Mixer and sound designer: Paul Vaitkus

In 1970, a young biologist named David Mech published what could be the most consequential book on wolves ever written. At the time, "The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species" was the most complete collection of scientific knowledge on wolves money could buy, and it became a bestseller for Dave's publishers. But outside of the world of wolf biology, the book is also credited with unleashing a certain idea into our popular lexicon: The Alpha.

The thing is, Dave made a mistake – and the alpha wolf doesn't exist.

This week on Endless Thread, Ben and Amory track down the origins of "the alpha" and whether this idea – which has been recanted by the very scientist who popularized it – has any legitimacy when applied to people.

Show notes:

The Myth of the Alpha Wolf (The New Yorker)

Do alpha males even exist? (The Guardian)

Elon Musk Shares Theory That Only ‘Alpha Males’ Should Vote (Newsweek)