Intelligent, independent, and completely unconstrained – the sigma male can seem to have it all. Most of the discussion around the sigma male centres on his unique and independent mindset that only seems to hand him an advantage over his peers. But, like anything in life, being a sigma male can’t be all perfect. There are in fact several cons to both the sigma mindset and the lifestyle it often produces. These cons to the sigma lifestyle often go unrecognised and undiscussed, but over here are Bloke Box, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the struggles faced by sigma males – and how best to manage them. Many of these may come as a surprise to those who don’t know what it feels like to be a sigma male, so listen out and let us know in the comments if these cons sound familiar.
Let’s get started.
10
Dealing with overbearing friends
Every sigma male is familiar with this feeling. As a consequence of his natural confidence, and humble introversion, the sigma male often finds himself the subject of unsolicited attention. He naturally fascinates those around him, and his allure leads to people wanting to know more. Sometimes, this works out fine for the sigma, as he is more than capable of building strong and reliable friendships with those he truly likes and appreciates. Other times, however, this natural allure can be a major con of the sigma way of life. He can find himself having to fight off the attention of overbearing acquaintances who seek to impose themselves on his solitary way of life.
The solution?
The trick to overcoming this con of the sigma way of life is to draw clear, distinct boundaries around his personal space and time. The sigma male needs to make a concerted effort to communicate the priority he gives to his independence to his friends and peers. Refusing to let others impose on his time and space saves him the mental stress of feeling contained or out of control. Implementing strict boundaries may be difficult at first, but becomes second nature with practice, and is an absolute must for the sigma male.
9
Clashing with authority
Being the lone wolves of society, it should come as no surprise that the sigma male often finds himself struggling when it comes to dealing with authority figures. His disregard for the rules and regulations that govern the rest of society often lead to him clashing heads with those whose job it is to enforce them. Preferring to case aside the expectations of others and rather live by a set of rules that he decides for himself, the sigma’s natural friction with authority can manifest in a range of settings – from school, to the workplace, and even when it comes to respecting the law.
The solution?
While the fact that the sigma male always listens to his gut instinct above all else is the reason he struggles with authority in the first place, it can also act as his coping mechanism for this con of sigma life. Being socially intelligent and observant, the sigma male usually figures out a way to disregard authority without drawing too much attention to himself or getting himself into trouble. In this sense, he acts as somewhat of a maverick, always finding a way to live by his own rules without creating his own downfall.
8
Being misunderstood
As the sigma male is by nature a lone wolf and free thinker, it’s not always for those around him to understand the way he thinks or goes about doing things. The sigma male’s unique lifestyle can often be a source of mystery or confusion for his peers, and at times this can be a source of struggle for these rare males. Sigmas often feel like those around them don’t understand him or his ways, and may at times even feel like an outcast among his peers. And while social acceptance is not something that ranks very high on a sigma male’s list of priorities, this sense of disconnect can act as a disadvantage and a con of the sigma way of life.
The solution?
In order to remain somewhat understood by those around him, it’s important for the sigma male to remember that not everybody thinks like him or shares his unique perspective. His peers may in fact require him to explain himself and his way of thinking in order to fully understand the motivation behind why he acts the way he does. With a bit of patience and good communication skills, the sigma male can work to overcome this con of contantly being misunderstood and better explain the way his mind works to those around him.
7
Receiving unwanted attention
Due to their penchant for success and their inherent ability to act as leaders under the right circumstances, it can be easy to forget that sigma males are in fact introverted by nature. Unlike the alpha, who enjoys all the attention that comes with being a leader in the spotlight, the sigma usually finds attention to be something he would rather do without. Being mysterious and talented, however, he can often find himself the subject of this kind of unsolicited attention, which – especially for the introverted sigma – is a major, and rather ironic, con of his unique nature.
The solution?
Like everything else in life, when it comes to managing unsolicited attention from his peers, the sigma male finds a way to grow. In situations where the sigma male finds himself at the centre of attention, he has the ability to grow into the role of alpha. While being an introvert by nature, he is not afraid of assuming leadership, and is willing to do so – especially if it means getting to live by his own rules at the end of the day.
6
Being out of the loop
Removed from the traditional social hierarchy by choice, the sigma male has little time for the passing fads and trends that mean so much to the rest of society. He walks his own unique path in life, and is quite simply unconcerned by what his peers deem cool or fashionable. At times, this can lead to the sigma male being somewhat out of touch with many of his peers’ interests, and needing to have the mainstream explained to him by his more trend conscious friends.
The solution?
Luckily, the sigma male rarely relies on the passing fads or fashions of society for success. His lack of interest in participating in these fickle trends means that he develops his own unique hobbies, sense of humour, and tastes. And while it may result in a bit of a disconnect between the sigma male and his peers, this disinterest in maintaining a “cool” image usually only serves to connect the sigma even further to his true authentic self.
5
Brutal honesty
The sigma male has no time for fluff or waffle. He speaks directly, and rarely bothers to sugarcoat the truth. This dedication to openness and honesty comes as a result as his innate desire to stay true to himself. However, to those on the outside, this directness is sometimes accompanied by the con of coming across as rather brutal. In the eyes of the sigma male, this honesty is a mark of respect – both towards himself and toward the subject of his honesty. However, every sigma male will be familiar with the experience of perhaps having been a little too honest…
The solution?
Using his acute social intelligence, the sigma male can usually train himself how to spot when he might be being a little too direct with those around him. With a bit of self reflection and practice, two things that the sigma male constantly strives to do anyway, he can develop a better filter for when to say what’s on his mind and when to perhaps keep it to himself. Moreover, those who surround themselves with a sigma male usually come to appreciate the unabashed honesty of the sigma male, and often it can be the very reason that they come to him for advice.
4
Isolation
While the sigma male is a lone wolf by nature and is most comfortable in the company of himself, this does sometimes leave him in danger of becoming somewhat isolated from his peers. And while the lone wolf sigma lives outside the social hierarchy by choice, he may occasionally have the experience of feeling disconnected or isolated from those who do engage with the social hierarchy. And while he would never trade in his independence in exchange for a place on the social hierarchy, this feeling of isolation does on occasion become a con of the sigma lifestyle.
The solution?
If a sigma male finds himself facing a sense of isolation, he need not feel too troubled. The social intelligence that he possesses means that it usually takes very little effort in order to reverse this isolation and bring him into the fold. The sigma male is naturally primed for keeping a well maintained balance between full independence and a healthy level of social interaction. And while he enjoys a certain degree of social interaction, it’s important to remember that many sigma males in fact strive for somewhat of a sense of isolation.
3
Dependent work ethic and ability to focus
While the sigma male might love nothing more than devoting himself to a subject or task that he’s passionate about, getting him to do the same for something he fiend uninteresting is an almost impossible feat. If a sigma male is not naturally interested in something, he generally won’t be able to muster up the focus to concentrate on it for very long. Instead, his highly inquisitive mind will wander elsewhere and try to keep itself entertained. For many sigma males in school and in the workplace, this highly dependent ability to focus is a major con of the sigma’s intellectual restlessness.
The solution?
The sigma male manages this tendency towards distraction by making sure he only dedicates his time to things that he is truly passionate about. He naturally orientates his life around things that fill him with interest and puts considerable effort into avoiding situations that might cause his mind to idle. This is a large part of the reason why preserving as much independence as possible is so vital to the sigma male.
2
Overthinking
The sigma male is well known for being both naturally intelligent, and possessing a highly analytical way of thinking. He can’t help but explore any subject that interests him to its fullest and tends to leave no intellectual stone unturned. His unique way of thinking means that he loves to go over things with a great degree of thoroughness. Sigma males are known to spend hours deliberating a single topic, and even when they know that they’ve thought through every possibility, don’t be surprised if a sigma male goes back over everything once more to be sure. While this is a crucial instrument to his intellectual success, and often makes him a great addition to a team, it also has the drawback of leading to overanalysing and overthinking. In fact, overthinking is perhaps one of the greatest cons of possessing a sigma mind.
The solution?
For a sigma male, the trick to managing this tendency to overthink requires learning how to identify what exactly is worth pouring his analytical skills into, and what’s more likely to be a waste of time. Furthermore, the sigma male can even learn to put this con to positive use, as even when he falls prey to overthinking, he knows that at the end of the day he has probably still arrived at the most valid conclusion.
1
Boredom
One of the major cons faced by sigma males is simply feeling bored. As the sigma male is not interested in fitting in to the social hierarchy or living up to the expectations of others, he often can find himself disengaged from the trivialities of those around him. Gripped by an inability to feign interest, the sigma male simply can’t sit still when it comes to feelings of boredom.
The solution?
In response to the threat of this boredom, the sigma male puts in to practice his penchant for exploration and taking risks. He will always try new things and explore what more the world has to offer. While the threat of boredom is in some ways a con of being a sigma male, it is also one of the most powerful motivations behind his success.
So as we can see, despite having a reputation that might sound like he “has it all”, there are in fact cons to the sigma male life. Luckily for these males, however, they tend to develop strategies for managing these cons that end up producing a positive outcome. Do any of these cons sound all too familiar? That may be an indication that you are in fact a sigma male.
