Some of the many articles about it:

The notion that wolves fight amongst each other and the strongest becomes the “alpha” and the weakest is the “omega” and all that, is a misconception that has been debunked ages ago, and even the author of the study who called them “alphas” in the first place is pleading with his old publisher to stop printing the dang book already so this misconception can finally die out.

Wolf packs are more or less just families. One “breeding pair” and their pups, which often stay with their parents way into adulthood.

  • agitatedpotato@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    Considering the original study only documented Wolves in captivity I explain it like this: Alpha, Beta, Sigma, whatever, is just the type of prison bitch you’d be, so congrats.

    • Wolf Link 🐺@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      Exactly this. Put any one species into a tiny depressing enclosure with way too many strangers and way too little food, and they will fight and establish a pecking order eventually. This has nothing to do with how the same species would behave in the wild and with enough resources to live comfortably, and the author realized that mistake years ago and is since trying to correct it.

      But I guess the entire “alpha male” thing is just too popular with certain people … ahem.

      • Synnr@sopuli.xyz
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        1 year ago

        I chuckle inside and exit the room at the first chance when someone non-jokingly refers to themselves as an alpha male. And that’s not because I’m afraid of them–the fact is that I’m the alpha male.

        /s

        Humans in packed cities could be described in a similar way though, if there’s not a social reinforcement in place, by the community elders who are respected and followed, to keep them from it. I live in a medium sized city now because of work, but even still I can relate to the rats [I’m aware of the studies flaws].

        Put any one species into a [packed] depressing [space] with way too many strangers and way too [varied amounts of resources per individual], and they will fight and establish a pecking order eventually. This has nothing to do with how the same species would behave in the wild and with enough resources to live comfortably.

        I grew up in the country with tens of acres and my nearest neighbor was a mile away. Separated from the small town nearby by a river and surrounded by thick hedgerows going miles around in every direction, with a huge open space (fields) between our house and the hedgerows. I’ve never been happy in the city. No matter where I am, I feel like I’m in a cage. I’m not agoraphobic but there’s a sense of being ‘watched’ when I leave my house that just isn’t there when you live in a remote area. All the people, sights, sounds, smells can be incredibly overwhelming at times.

        I am only capable of attaining a true level of peace when I’m in nature.

        • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
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          1 year ago

          yeah no this is a bad take, humans are arguably the single most social species on earth and cities are where almost everyone lives for a damn good reason.

          It’s not healthy for most people to live isolated in the countryside, we need a community to maintain mental health.

          • Synnr@sopuli.xyz
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            1 year ago

            You’re looking at it very black and white, as if you can’t live in a peaceful more remote area but still visit with friends and have them over, socialize at work, etc. After all, if you live in a city you don’t live with or talk to all the people you see, they’re just there, noise in the background.

      • PixxlMan@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Whether or not it’s a real concept doesn’t matter to these people, all that matters is whether it appeals to their pre conceived notions or not.

      • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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        1 year ago

        Also a great argument for the fact that caging humans doesn’t change anything in a positive direction. Especially when you enslave them too like in countries with barbaric penal systems such as the US.

      • mycatiskai@lemmy.one
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        1 year ago

        Funny that pecking order is something you see in chickens. So these human alpha males are copying hen behavior.