Hey fellas, this is my first thread on RP (and Reddit for that matter) so I'll be doing my best to make it count given the circumstances.

What I want to share is likely well understood to varying degrees by the RP veterans here so this isn't really intended for that audience, but feel free to expand upon it of course. With the prefacing out of the way, I'm going to jump right into it.

Your demeanor is not what makes you Alpha or Beta but rather an emergent property of such.

I've observed that when describing what makes a man an Alpha or Beta, the more venerable members here will generally describe the behavior exhibited by them (self-actualization, attraction vs comfort building, etc). Because they understand the nuances of male social dynamics, they can afford to use generalizations in order to convey their point to newbies expediently. But this is lost on those who don't grasp the underlying reasons aside from simple social conditioning.

While I concede that Alpha and Beta are learned behavior sets to a considerable degree, there is a driving force behind one's proclivity to either. I realize that some may point to the textbook definition an Alpha male in order to refute my assertion, so let's clarify.

Alpha male: the dominant male animal in a particular group.

The important thing to consider however, is what triggers a man to exhibit dominant or submissive behaviors?

The simple answer is Testosterone.

"Well no shit" you might say. As a rule of thumb (individual psychology notwithstanding), the AMOG is most often the male with the highest T levels.

Now bear with me here because it isn't as cut and dry as who has the highest serum levels. This is where biochemistry and genetics come in.

The boring science

For starters, not all of the T in your bloodstream is usable. Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) renders T inactive and lowers the amount of 'free' T that can be converted into Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is what your body actually uses. To the hardcore bodybuilders out there: this is nothing new to you. With the exception of your skeletal musculature, serum testosterone in and of itself doesn't do as much as the layman gives it credit for. It's basically your ammunition, not the gun.

But wait, doesn't having a lot of free T mean you'll have high DHT levels as well? Not necessarily. This is where it gets tricky. Your amount of SHBG is largely determined by your age and genetics (a diet rich in fiber and protein can mitigate your SHBG levels), but your body has an enzyme that converts T into DHT (5a reductase). How much of this enzyme you have is also determined by genes. Not only that, but even if you have low SHBG and plenty of 5a reductase you still have another genetically determined factor at play here: the AR gene. This is the gene that determines the amount of available androgen receptors in your body. No androgen receptors and your T/DHT isn't going anywhere.

In English: your testosterone production and body's sensitivity to it are mutually exclusive.

Physiological signs of an Alpha

Now assuming that you've got awesome genes (and thus great hormone levels by extension), how do we (especially women) identify it visually?

  • Lots of hair

Lots of DHT means lots of facial/body hair, and it will grow faster than a man with lower levels. This is why a lot of women like hair on men, beards, or scruffy faces. The degree to which a man possesses this secondary sex characteristic is a visual indication that dude is an Alpha. The great irony of having high DHT means a greater likelihood of male pattern baldness later in life. Too little DHT, and it'll take you a month just to grow some peachfuzz. Caveat: You can have high testosterone and still have difficulty growing hair if your hair follicles and skin are over-saturated with androgen receptors and DHT.

  • A Hero's Face

Your jaw bone is filled with androgen receptors, and testosterone actually widens your jaw line and makes your chin more prominent. Take a look at a high level athlete before and after they got into it; it's clear as day. This is what women notice when they say you have a handsome or masculine face. The anti-thesis to this are pretty boys, though not every pretty boy is necessarily feminine. A strong jaw also means you can better tolerate a blow to the face before it breaks (testosterone increases bone density), which is quite useful for a guy who is likely to take more risks and get into more fights as a result of his aggression.

  • Broad Shoulders

Your shoulders are jam packed with androgen receptors, so more testosterone makes them wider and stronger. Women love triangle torsos versus narrow shoulders.

  • Less Bodyfat

We know that T/DHT are anabolic hormones, whereas estrogen and cortisol (stress hormone) cause the body to store fat. Not being fat is not only visually appealing, but the guy can eat more and likely get away with it.

  • BONUS: Increased Strength

This isn't really something you'd notice at a glance but I thought I'd include it. Testosterone has been shown to increase one's maximal voluntary strength. That is, you get more bang for your buck on the same frame. An Elephant bull in Musth has as much as sixty times their normal testosterone, which is why they go from a calm creature to angry Hulk. Even a traditionally Alpha bull won't be as keen to mess with a Beta bull in Musth. That'd be like stepping to a Vulcan during Pon Farr; you don't do it.

How you can optimize your natural T levels

Now some guys might be like: "well I'm fucked cause my genes suck". Nonsense I tell you. You're not doomed to the dregs of Beta-dom, you just have a different starting point to build up your testosterone.

How does one do this? By doing what the RP veterans have been saying since the beginning: LIFT. Lifting increases testosterone, nuff said.

As a corollary to this: a CLEAN diet rich in dietary cholesterol will go a long way. The Leydig cells in your testicles use it as the building blocks to create free T. While explaining endocrine disruptors is beyond the scope of this post, I emphasize clean because lower quality 'foods' contain compounds (pesticides, herbicides, etc) that fuck up your natural body chemistry. It's not as simple as calories in vs calories out; the metabolic pathways your food takes are what matters.

Wrapping this Shit Up

Well there you have it. At the end of the day one of the best things you can do for yourself is increase that liquid badass we all possess the best you can and then let it loose on the world. Sure you can master and internalize the psychological elements in and of themselves, but having the principle masculine hormone backing you up will go a long way in allowing you not to give a fuck rather than having to fake it. Take care of your body and mind (stress makes you fat remember?) so your testicles can churn out as much T as your body will allow, and your Alpha behavior will be fortified by your biology. This is what it means to have balls.

Thank you very much for your time, and to those who figured this crap out long before I took a crack at disseminating it.

Some References & Further Reading

Hair and Testosterone: http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/67/5/986.short

Testosterone and Strength: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12679426

Dietary effects on SHBG: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10634401

Dietary cholesterol & T: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1998648

Genetic predisposition toward enzyme production: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/5-alpha-reductase-deficiency

AR gene + Hair loss: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/androgenetic-alopecia

EDIT: While I am pleased that this topic has stirred up lively discussion, some commenters are being far too absolutist in their interpretation when this is clearly a nuanced subject. The crux of my generalizations is that high testosterone influences visual (as well as behavioral) male traits that women associate with Alphas subconsciously, which we can use to our advantage as we cultivate our masculinity. A cursory amount of due diligence will demonstrate that many of these anthropological strands (including the ones I elected to omit references for) are well established; I merely seek to tie them together for our collective enrichment.