Uploaded June 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
While popular culture uses the term "alpha male" to refer to people who are controlling or even bullying, in nature, an “alpha” is the highest ranking member of one’s sex and the animal that often assumes a leadership role. Frans de Waal, a primatologist and ethologist at Emory University, explores the ways that human behavior around community, solidarity, and leadership is directly linked to the behavior of primates, adding context to our understanding of what it means to be a human “alpha” female or male.
Watch Frans’ 2017 TEDMED Talk for his keen observations on how human social structure mirrors primate social structure and how analyzing these patterns can yield rich insights into our own society, what we value, and how we choose our leaders.
While popular culture uses the term "alpha male" to refer to people who are controlling or even bullying, in nature, an “alpha” is the highest ranking member of one’s sex and the animal that often assumes a leadership role. Frans de Waal, a primatologist and ethologist at Emory University, explores the ways that human behavior around community, solidarity, and leadership is directly linked to the behavior of primates, adding context to our understanding of what it means to be a human “alpha” female or male.
Watch Frans’ 2017 TEDMED Talk for his keen observations on how human social structure mirrors primate social structure and how analyzing these patterns can yield rich insights into our own society, what we value, and how we choose our leaders.
