Spot The Alpha

As a reader notes, a good rule of thumb for determining the alpha male among men is which man would you least want to pick a fight with in a bar? Physical size doesn’t even have to factor into this equation.

In this photo, Obama appears to have as many beta male tells as Putin has alpha male tells.

Obama:

– biting lower lip
– leaning forward
– nearly crossing feet
– one foot resting pigeon-toed
– closed off leg position, sheltering manhood from turbulence
– craning neck
– slouched shoulders
– “man with no chest” syndrome
– the soft eyes of a community organizer

Putin:

– expressionless, with hint of annoyed boredom
– leaning back in his chair
– open leg stance, daring the world to confront his manhood
– feet firmly planted on ground
– back straight
– chest out
– head, chin and chest aligned in a single plane
– the hard eyes of a seasoned warrior

Interestingly, both men are interlocking their fingers and propping their arms in similar ways, but Putin’s arm and hand position strikes the viewer as more alpha. Why is that? Well, body language cues can be exceedingly subtle. The difference between a beta posture and an alpha posture can reduce to mere centimeters. Putin’s arms are slightly more spread out, like a bird of prey’s wingspan in mid-flight, than are Obama’s arms. This gives Putin’s overall physical presence a more open look, and this openness is one of the classic signals of alpha maleness. The beta is weak and defensive, always glancing around for incipient threats, his body tightened into a ball of nerves. The alpha is strong and relaxed, expecting no threats but nevertheless welcoming any threats which may come his way.

Why does any of this matter? Do you like women? Because if you do, then you have to know how to satisfy women’s desires. And women desire, almost universally, the attention of a charismatically towering, larger than life alpha male.