So in my pondering about the attributes and characteristics that constitute the biggest violations of alpha that delve into the beta, I noticed that there is virtue in doing nothing versus overthinking and ultimately becoming nervous and making an error to fix that emotional pressure (If you've ever seen the Tao of Steve, this point is salient). The thing is, the more I considered it, being alpha actually requires LESS effort during the actual interaction (corollary: preplanning and extra/inner-game development are magnitudes more difficult) and to an extent is EASIER.

As Robert Greene writes in 48 Laws of Power ,

Law 3: If you yearn for power, quickly lay honesty aside, and train yourself in the art of concealing you intentions

  1. Say your girlfriend/fuckbuddy/wife is growing bitchy and distant. Do you:

a) Shower her in praise, emotional comfort, and presents?

or

b) Show indifference or light distaste, silently weighing your options about whether you should next her?

  1. You want to sleep with a girl you do not yet know, do you:

a) Go up and profess undying love, and play her a sonnet accompanied by lute

b) Talk to her about something totally neutral as if you were not interested in her beyond passing, keeping your sexual intentions subdued for the proper moment

c) say "Hey girl, where dat pussy at?"

Now, which of those requires less work? B, obviously. So long as one can control his emotions and maintain the proper demeanor (aloof or amused mastery) he holds his cards tight and doesn't allow her to cannibalize his frame. Which leads into another law: Law 4: Always speak less than necessary

There's a reason being laconic and terse gives the air of power and strong frame: it is the verbal equivalent of swatting away a fly; effortless. This gives you time to analyze and think without having to stress about what to say as well: just keep it short and unperturbed and you're golden.

So in conclusion: being beta is harder than doing nothing, and somewhat ironically for you overthinkers out there: doing practically nothing instead, like on your SAT's, can save you points so your mistakes won't count against you.