• RandomVideos@programming.dev
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    10 months ago

    Ah yes, a paper about wolves following a leader which was disproven by the same person that made it obviously applies to humans

    The average pack size in North America is eight wolves and in Europe 5.5 wolves, with the biggest being 42

    The largest human “pack” size is 37800000

    i couldnt find the average size of a city, only the largest

    42 is sightly smaller than 37800000 so studies on wolves about social structure might be wrong if you replaces wolves with humans

    • danielbln@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I hear you, but you counter is a little disingenuous. A city isn’t your pack, your social circle is. And that’s probably smaller than 42. Just because you’re in a city of millions doesn’t mean you directly interact with them in a social way, we are still animals of small social groups, even if we live in a global space of billions. The alpha male stuff is still bunk science trash of course.

      • Syrc@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Aren’t Alpha males (and females) an actual thing in many species, like primates? I thought just the wolves one was disproven (not that it means anything for human dynamics of course).

    • clb92@feddit.dk
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      10 months ago

      As a European, I gotta tell you, it’s super creepy seeing those half wolves walk around with their packs… You guys are lucky your wolves decided to split up in 8-packs instead.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      The largest human “pack” size is 37800000

      Dunbar’s number would suggest otherwise. Human “pack” size is closer to 150. Past that, you really don’t recognize or interact with people to consider them peers.

      But the rise of “Alpha Male” psychology seems to be paired with the gamification of dating, particularly via for-profit web apps. There’s all this meta-psychology blossoming around a simple mathematical problem of too-many-dudes for too-few-women in a setting that rewards aggressiveness.

      What we have is a totally artificial environment lauded by bunch of NEET libertarian techbros who are then forced to rationalize why they can’t use it to get laid. In some sense, its like that scene from “A Beautiful Mind” except replace John Nash with Andrew Tate, and he’s telling everyone at the table to fight to the death over the one blonde girl.

      But the heart of the problem isn’t simple that humans aren’t wolves. It is that you have made of yourself a pack of caged animals and tried to explain the resulting social dysfunction by appealing to naturalism. Even if you were right and there was a chicken-like peaking order rather than a giant dog orgy instilled in the human psyche, you couldn’t take advantage of it because you have become locked in a hen house overwhelmingly composed of roosters.

      Incidentally, gay dating apps have an entirely different dynamic. There’s no “gay alpha male” theory to contend with because they’re all in the pile and having the time of their lives.

      • SuddenDownpour@sh.itjust.works
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        10 months ago

        and he’s telling everyone at the table to fight to the death over the one blonde girl.

        And to make it even worse, he thinks no man actually likes the girl, or would enjoy being intimate with her. In his mind, “the girl” is only an object of status, something you ought to get to place yourself above other men, either because he’s always been a psychopath or because it’s been so long since he ever experienced connection with another human being that he doesn’t even remember what it is.