http://academic.reed.edu/biology/professors/srenn/pages/teaching/2008_syllabus/2008_readings/9_Sapolsky_1990.pdf

Here is a prominent scientist who's studied the social lives of baboons and correlations with various physiological factors. In this paper he talks about the correlations and causations of physiology (testosterone levels and cortisol levels, both at baseline and in response to stress) and how their differ between the socially-determined dominant and subordinate specimens - the Alphas and Betas.

While it's obvious that baboons are not humans, we share over 90% of our DNA with them, have similar mating patterns, and form into social hierarchies. We can also do a lot of meaningful research on them, as ethical constraints are relaxed considerably (compared to humans). We can ask: which way does the causation go regarding physiology and social dominance, and what do personality types have to do with it? What can we learn from this, and how does it relate to TRP?

Here's my summary of the main points:

  • Baseline testosterone is similar in both alphas / betas

  • But during conflict / stress (e.g. fights, courtship competition), the alphas have a large spike in testosterone relative to the betas

  • Alphas also have higher peak cortisol during stressful situations

  • Betas have high basal cortisol levels, i.e. they are releasing more of the stress hormone even when nothing's going on

  • This means their adrenal glands are overworking, inhibiting testosterone production when they need it, and ironically, also peak cortisol

  • "The research on captive animals also indicates that the optimal hormonal profile seen in dominant males [alphas] during stable times is an effect and not a cause of one's rank" [emphasis mine]

  • Basically, a bunch of animals put in captivity start with no real stable hierarchy, i.e. no alphas yet, and their hormone profiles were all high cortisol, even the more dominant higher T ones. This implies that environmental predictibility and control are defining characteristics of being alpha. Anyways, what happens next is that eventually the social groups form through various jockeying, and then the predicted hormonal profiles occur: alphas get low basal C levels, subordinates remain higher in C.

  • The author then breaks down dominance into "personality traits" that lead to the superior physiology (defined as low basal cortisol)

  • The overarching personality trait: "they differentiate well between neutral and threatening actions of a rival."

  • I interpret this as "no false alarms" while also knowing when to have a "measured response". It could also be called social acuity with respect to threats. In fact, the findings show that the actual stressors are less important than the perceived stressors, and the correlation with respect to cortisol and this personality trait is even larger than that of cortisol and dominant/subordinate! This is why it's so important to push comfort levels and come out the other side seeing that everything is alright. The reference experiences will help lower your stress levels.

  • The conclusion: "...Attitude is a more important mediator of physiology than rank alone."

And I think we should all thank god, Darwin, or whatever it is you believe that this is the case, because while we can't control whether or not we are the big boss at work, the biggest lifter in our gym, top of the class at school, or even captain of our intramural volleyball team, we can control our attitude towards life in general. We can always strive for self improvement, learn about objective reality, differentiate between what can and cannot be changed, and accept the latter. This is why the teachings of The Red Pill promote Alpha qualities.

To finish, I'll leave you with this quote at the end of the paper:

"For humans and animals as clever as humans, the stressors of life are predominantly socially generated ones that are both subtle and ambiguous. To the extent that so many of our stressors are the inventions of the mind, so too must be the means of coping with them."