Many of the men who consider themselves to be one of the sigma males in the social hierarchy are in fact, in a state of denial. In reality, they are gamma males who have managed to convince themselves that they possess a sigma nature in order to make sense of their awkward position in the social hierarchy. In fact, gamma males are frequently in a state of denial about exactly how they fit in to the social hierarchy, and famous for coming up with excuses for their position. Want to find out if you are in fact a gamma male? Stick around for this Bloke Box guide to understanding the gamma male, and how to tell if you’re one of them.
What is the gamma male?
The gamma males are misfits within the social hierarchy, who are plagued by a desire to ascend the socio sexual hierarchy, and yet are frustrated by their inability to do so. They sit quite low on the overall social hierarchy, well below the alpha position that they would so dearly like to occupy. Their particular mix of traits often leaves them feeling a little awkward about their social standing, hence their penchant for being in denial. While the gamma male may not be able to see himself clearly, he is fairly easy to identify from the outside. Here are eleven unmistakable traits you can use to spot a gamma male.
11
They are kind
To start on a lighter note, one positive thing that can be said for the gamma male is that he is kind in nature. He is sensitive and empathetic and genuinely does want the best for those around him. His submissive and somewhat insecure nature means that he is often more than obliging to help those around him, and is a genuinely good listener. Gamma males find it easy to maintain a wide array of friendships that are based on true empathy and emotional understanding. Gamma males will often be sought out by their friends, especially their female friends, for their kind and understanding emotional support. They usually give good advice on matters of the heart, due to their sensitive and compassionate nature. Gamma males are kind hearted creatures that more often than not end up being the shoulder girls come to cry on when they have had their heart broken by an alpha male.
10
Generous
Alongside being kind hearted, gamma males are usually notable for being particularly generous in nature. They are often quite happy to give away their time and resources to please those around them. While on the surface, this may seem like a totally selfless act, it is often the consequence of the gamma male’s suppressed desire for the approval of others. The gamma male’s generosity often springs from the belief that giving to others will win their respect and advance him up through the social hierarchy, helping him to arrive at the position of alpha that he believes he truly deserves.
9
Romantic
The gamma male has a penchant for some pretty unrealistic ideas about love and romance. The gamma male is often not very attractive by conventional social standards. They generally don’t devote much energy to keeping themselves in peak physical shape, nor are they able to effortlessly master the style trends that society deems cool and relevant in the same way that alphas, or even betas do. All in all, this leads to them relying on an idea of what women want that is more based in rom-com fantasy rather than genuine sexual attraction. The gamma male wholeheartedly believes the rom-com trope of the awkward and unattractive guy somehow bagging the most beautiful and desirable women. Characters like Ted Moseby of How I Met Your Mother and Ross Geller of Friends fill the gamma male with a sense of belief that he too may attract hordes of attractive women without possessing any qualities they would genuinely find attractive. One of the easiest ways to spot a gamma male is his blind faith in the romantic science only found in the most fanciful of media, and for this reason, you’ll often see them committing the grand romantic gestures that only ever work in movies.
8
Feels entitled to love
The fact that the gamma male is genuinely kind, understanding, and generous with his time can lead him to feel entitled to the love of women. He often believes that his kind and caring nature make his love more “pure” than the solely sexually motivated feelings of his other male counter parts. The gamma male thinks of himself as a “nice guy”, and this leads to a sense of entitlement when it comes to women reciprocating his feelings. What the gamma doesn’t realise, is that by seeing himself as a “nice guy”, and therefore feeling entitled to women’s affections, he is in fact engaging in exactly the kind of objectification that he pretends to be above. Rather than understanding the complexity and nuance of human attraction, he reduces his interaction with women down to a transaction. The gamma male often holds an unrealistic view of the sexual marketplace in which women are like vending machines that pour out sex to men who offer them coins of “kindness” and “pure love”.
7
They are intelligent and nerdy
One of the stand out characteristics of the gamma male is his high intellect and devotion to subjects he finds interesting. The intellectual nature of the gamma male usually veers on the nerdy side, and he is prone to obsessing over topics. It’s not uncommon for a gamma male to devour every resource on a topic that he can get his hands on, and relishes any opportunity to share his expertise with his peers. Their nerdiness is one of the easiest ways to spot a gamma, and those who devote themselves to obsessing over a single topic, interest, or skill are often gamma males. Unfortunately, their high intellect and ability to become experts in their field rarely help to advance their social position, or help them when it comes to wooing women
6
They believe that they are underappreciated
Due to his high intellect, self perceived kindness, and the notion that he is more “down to earth” than his male peers, the gamma male tends to go through life believing that he is fundamentally underappreciated by society. They often bottle up the feeling that the world doesn’t see them for the gifted and kind natured man he is. The gamma’s lack of success with women despite these self perceived traits can often lead to a sense of resentment or bitterness towards these women, who, in his eyes, have merely failed to see his true value.
5
Sexual rejects
Because of his misguided beliefs about both himself and how to behave in order to attract women, the gamma male is usually a sexual reject in society. He noticeably struggles to attract women and tends to go about romance in all the wrong ways, only to be left stupefied and offended when his advances are rejected. His sensitive nature means that women are usually happy to have him as a friend, but once he tries to progress things further, sexual rejection is no stranger to the gamma male.
4
They are risk averse
The sigma male can often think of himself as an alpha or a sigma, as part of his delusional tendencies. However, one easy way to spot the difference between these types of men is their attitude towards risk. Whereas alphas and sigmas possess the self confidence and self knowledge to happily take risks, the gamma male is usually held back by insecurity and fear. There’s nothing a gamma male hates more than being made feel stupid or rejected, and so they are prone to avoid any risks that might expose them to a feeling of failure. Despite their high belief in their abilities, a gamma will rarely be seen to step outside of his comfort zone.
3
They are delusional
As we’ve mentioned, the gamma male is prone to spinning webs of fantasies for himself, rather than being able to see the world for how it truly is. Gammas tend to think of themselves as underappreciated nice guys, with more intellectual and emotional value than those occupying alpha, beta, or sigma positions on the social hierarchy. In fact, gammas often believe that given the right circumstances, they would be the ones most fit to occupy the alpha role in society. Other times, they brand themselves as lone wolf sigmas to explain their alienation. However, this is usually nothing more than a delusional style of mental gymnastics. In the gammas world view, he sees himself as something of a “hidden alpha”, in which he could ascend to dominance if only he “lowered his intellect” to fit in with the alphas. This delusional way of thinking leads to the gamma male often demonstrating resentment towards his peers, as he undervalues them and harbors a secret belief that he is superior.
2
They can be quick to anger
All of this entitlement, delusion, and web of mental gymnastics ends up leaving the gamma male with a pretty precarious worldview. As soon as anything draws his constructed reality into question, or threatens to reveal the shortcomings he has dedicated himself to ignoring, the gamma male feels instantly threatened. In these situations, the gamma male can be quick to anger, as he struggles to protect the view of the world and his place in it that he has so carefully curated.
1
They struggle to grow
The fact that the gamma male’s way of thinking is so far removed from his reality, ultimately means that he will always find it difficult to experience any true growth in himself. Personal growth, which is one of the trademark traits of men higher on the social hierarchy, is only possible due to their blatant honesty and ability to address their flaws. The gamma male’s belief that he is better than the world around him recognises, and that any flaws he possesses are actually society at fault, means that he will never truly possess enough self knowledge to produce meaningful growth. It is only by casting aside this false reality, and taking a good hard look at himself in the mirror, that the gamma male can free himself from his nature and experience real growth.
