The term “sigma male” carries with it a lot of connotations. Many of these are positive – talented, independent, mysterious – but, like any personality type, sigma males also carry their own set of negative stereotypes. Being naturally introverted, sigmas often deal with many of the same negative stereotypes associated with introverted personality types. Generally speaking, these negative stereotypes come from a place of simply being misunderstood by others. And given that sigma males are so rare in society it should hardly come as a surprise that few can understand the nuances of their behaviour. So sit back, because we’re going to explore the most prevalent negative stereotypes commonly associated with sigma males.
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Sigma males are cold
Because of their often reclusive nature, one negative stereotype that surrounds the sigma personality type is that these men are inherently cold. There are many reasons why this negative stereotype exists. First of all, sigma males tend to avoid making small talk, or engaging in conversations that they find to be fickle or superficial. These deep thinkers much prefer digging in to the meat of a subject, rather than simply exchanging pleasantries. They can quickly become bored by everyday chit chat, and without them even realising it, this boredom can be pretty visible to the outside world.
This tendency has earned sigma males a reputation for being rather cold when it comes to first impressions. However, this negative stereotype can easily be dispelled by getting to know a sigma male a little better. Once you scratch beneath the surface and get a sigma male talking about a subject he has a passion for, all coldness melts away and they become warm and enthusiastic conversationalists. Despite the impression they might make at first, sigma males are not inherently cold and distant like the negative stereotype would have you believe.
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Sigma males are selfish
Sigma males are known for being the “lone wolves” of society. This is because they choose to live outside of the social dominance hierarchy, and unlike most others, are unbothered by what others think of them. They prize their independence above all else, and prefer to do things for themselves. This dedication to total autonomy has left some people with the belief that sigma males are inherently selfish. After all, isn’t the only thing a lone wolf cares about himself?
Not necessarily. Many sigma males pursue this path of freedom and independence for reasons that have nothing to do with being selfish. More often, sigma males are just highly aware of their own desires and needs, and feel confident in their ability to fulfil them. They would rather rely on their own efforts and own efforts alone to get what they want in life, as they are aware that involving others only leads to a lack of control and complicates things. Rather than calling them selfish, it would be more accurate to describe sigma males as self sufficient.
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Sigmas are shy
This negative stereotype is one that many introverts face on a regular basis. People assume that introverts keep to themselves because they are too shy or embarrassed to talk to others. This is where a huge misconception lies, that confuses shyness with introversion. Being shy is being nervous to put yourself out there in front of others, whereas introversion is actually a self aware choice to reserve time for oneself.
While extroverted personalities feel energised when they are surrounded by other people and in high energy social situations, these types of scenarios can be highly draining to introverted personalities. Introverts need sufficient time alone in order to recharge their social batteries. If a sigma male tends to stick to himself, it’s unlikely that he’s doing so out of fear or shyness, and more likely that he simply prefers his own company and does not wish to tire himself out.
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Sigma males are control freaks
Being the lone wolves of society, it’s a well known fact that sigma males like to do things on their own terms. In fact, there’s few things a sigma male hates more than feeling a sense of dependency towards others, or feeling that people are depending on him. Sigma males much prefer to be in charge of themselves and themselves only. This however has led to the negative stereotype that sigma males are total control freaks, who want everything done according to their preference.
In reality, this is only true for themselves. Sigma males trust themselves deeply, and have an acute awareness of their own abilities. That means that when they need something done, they prefer to handle it themselves as they know exactly what they’re getting in to and what results to expect. However, when it comes to the actions and preferences of other people – sigma males are the total opposite of control freaks and live by the belief that everybody should be as free as possible to make their own choices and do as they please.
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Sigma males have no sense of humour
Being introverted, it’s rare that you’ll see a sigma male being the life and soul of the party. One of the most common conceptions that people hold about introverts is that they must always be socially awkward and lack a sense of humour. As sigma males are particularly aloof and mysterious, this assumption goes even further and people often assume that sigmas have no interest in having “fun” with others, or sharing a sense of humour.
This is an incredibly unfortunate negative stereotype that sigma males have to deal with, as they usually have just as much of a sense as humour as the next person. In fact, the astute and observant nature of sigma males means they often possess a share sense of humour and wit that takes surprises the people listening close enough to hear it. While they may not be natural entertainers, those who get close to a sigma male are often found to praise his unique and insightful approach to comedy.
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Sigma males are moody
Just as people assume that sigma males can’t take a joke because of their reclusive and aloof nature, people also jump to the conclusion that sigmas are moody and sullen. This is down to the fact that sigma males are non performative in their social behaviour. While other personality types like alphas and betas engage in performative behaviour in order to create a particular impression on the people around them, sigma males have no interest in the judgements that others pass on them.
The opinions of others are of such little concern to sigmas that they refuse to feign a good or cheery mood if it’s not an accurate reflection of how they truly feel. Sigma males are deeply in touch with themselves, and present themselves to the world with a sense of honesty. This means that a sigma male is usually not afraid to express himself when he is displeased, or allow himself moments of unhappiness. This is actually a very healthy approach to dealing with the nuanced reality of emotions, but unfortunately in a world so marked by superficial performances, it has created the negative stereotype that sigma males are always moody and brooding.
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Sigma males look down on others
As we’ve discussed, sigma males do not feel the need to perform socially for those around them. They act according to their true mood and feelings, and never go out of their way to try and impress people. However, in our society, acting to impress others is so commonplace that some people can be thrown off by a person truly being themselves. Sigma males have to deal with the negative stereotype that they consider themselves superior, just because they don’t spend their efforts trying to win the approval of others.
In reality, sigma males simply understand that they are who they are, and no amount of social pressure is ever going to change that. Rather than morph themselves to fit the expectations of others, they are content to carry on through life doing as they please. Far from seeing themselves as unique or superior for this, sigma males understand that everyone has something to gain by simply being themselves.
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Sigmas are not natural leaders
Just because they are introverted, many assume that sigma males do not have what it takes to take charge and become a leader. On the contrary, sigma males often make for soem of the omost inspiring leaders. When the right set of conditions coincide, sigma males can fulfil the role of an alpha even without intending to. Their clear vision and problem solving mindset make them valuable team players, and their humble, down to earth attitude means as leaders they often inspire a great deal of respect and loyalty. Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, leaders of some of the world’s most influential contemporary companies, are well recognised sigma males.
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Sigmas lack empathy
Because sigma males prefer to fend for themselves, there is a negative stereotype that they don’t feel empathy for others. The stereotype assumes that, in order to want to go through life solo, sigma males must not care for other people. This, however, misses the point of the sigma’s introversion. In reality, sigma males do not stick to themselves because they harbour ill feelings or a lack of care towards the people around them, they just prefer to be the masters of their own fate. Sigma males like to ponder deeply, and contrary to the stereotype can actually feel a great deal of empathy for the experiences of others.
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Sigma males don’t like being around like other people
While it’s true that sigma males are lone wolves who prefer to walk their own paths, this leads to the greatest misconception about sigmas of all – that they don’t enjoy company. This is simply not true. Sigma males do need to spend a lot of time alone in order to connect with themselves as deeply as they like to, and to recharge from the hustle and bustle of social interaction – however, they can also gain a lot from meaningful social interactions. Sigma males love to debate or to dive deep in to a topic, and don’t shy away from difficult conversations. If in a relaxed space where they are allowed to be themselves and let their true nature shine through, sigma males can be very social and most certainly do enjoy the company of others.
