Gamma males are among the seven male personalities from the socio-sexual or dominant hierarchy. They are close to the bottom but have their strengths. Understanding gamma male traits is important if you are one and want to move up or if you know someone who’s a gamma. Knowing what motivates them and how they behave will make dealing with them easier too.
What Is a Gamma Male?
Gamma males tend to be submissive and very open to new experiences; often, they resent their passive nature and wish they were someone else.
In the Big Five Personality Test, gamma males often rank:
- High Openness – Open to new experiences
- High Extroversion – Prefer to spend time with others
- High Neuroticism – Sensitive and prone to negative emotion
- Low Agreeableness – Critical of people and more rational
- Low Conscientiousness – Careless and opposed to hard work
Of course, not every gamma male will follow this exact result, but these are the typical scores for gamma men.
You are likely a gamma male if you have ever gotten an ENTP result in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test.
Where Is a Gamma Male in the Dominance Hierarchy?
In the socio-sexual hierarchy, there are seven male personality types.
- Alpha Male
- Beta Male
- Delta Male
- Gamma Male
- Sigma Male
- Zeta Male
- Omega Male
This hierarchy is a good representation of the types of men out there. But, of course, everyone’s met an alpha male who is strong and confident and naturally takes charge, and you’ve also met omega types, shy or nerdy guys who seem awkward. But the middle of the hierarchy can be a little more difficult to differentiate but knowing who’s who can give you significant social advantages.
Understanding someone’s personality will tell you something about their temperament and motivations, making interacting with them easier. For example, gamma males often resent a strong alpha, so you can connect with one quickly by starting a conversation insulting a nearby alpha male.
This will only work if you know their place in the pecking order, so you must know the typical masculine traits.
Common Gamma Male Personality Characteristics
Adventurous
What makes a gamma male different from other middle-ranking men is their desire for new experiences. In the big five personality theory, this is a high openness score. Gamma males are open to new ideas and are likelier to look for experiences outside of what society deems normal.
You might find a gamma male becoming a digital nomad or traveler. He’s different from an omega male, who doesn’t care about societal norms either, because they tend to get caught up with one passion and a routine, making them seem nerdy and geeky. Gamma males always want something new, so they rarely become experts or high-value employees. It’s this lack of discipline that makes many gamma males look like losers to potential mates, causing feelings of resentment.
Empathetic
Gamma males aren’t domineering like alphas and don’t have the “don’t give an f%$k” attitude of a sigma. Instead, they do care about what other people think and are affected deeply by negative emotions.
On the flip side, it’s their empathy which makes them good listeners and easy to be around. Gamma males are likable, and that’s valuable.
Highly Intelligent
Another reason gamma males tend to resent those who are more successful around them is their intelligence. They know they are smart enough to succeed but can’t get it together. This shows that although intelligence is the best marker for success, it’s not the only thing you need. You won’t get far without conscientiousness, which is just tenacity and hardworking.
Delusions of Grandeur
In their minds, gamma males are the top dog, the dominant male; they highly overestimate their social status. So rather than challenging the alpha for his alpha status, they make it up in their heads that they are the leader of the pack.
But when confronted by someone above them in the hierarchy, they quickly back down, preferring to fantasize later about “what they should have done.”
They Idolize Women
Another common quality of a gamma male is idolizing women. Unlike an aggressive alpha male whose assertive nature makes him secure in his masculinity, many gamma males feel insecure around women. This stereotype is another reason they have qualities often associated with low testosterone.
- Fear of conflict
- Empathy
And it’s always why they are often unsuccessful with women, sexually attractive qualities associated with confidence and sex drive.
Instead, they see women as something untouchable and treat them in a stereotypically “nice guy” manner. This only leads them to even less success with the opposite sex.
They Avoid Conflict
Gamma males are nonconfrontational; they back down from arguments quickly and rarely get into physical confrontations. Unfortunately, this part of his fearful nature makes him resentful of more powerful men.
How to Be More Than a Gamma Male
After reading the traits and characteristics of gamma males, you might wonder, especially if you are one, how to break out of the gamma male rank and move up the dominance hierarchy.
Changing your place in the hierarchy is possible, although you can’t change every part of your personality (who would you be if you did?)
Become a Sigma Male
Gamma males and sigma males share many personality traits. They are both highly intelligent, high in trait openness, and neither wants to take a traditional route through life. So with just a few tweaks and some time for adjustment, you can become a Sigma male and receive the success and attractiveness that comes with that.
Work Harder
The first big difference between sigmas and gammas is work ethic. Sigma men are willing to put in the hours. They may do it because of an intrinsic desire to better themselves or be successful, but you must find a strong motivator. It could be money, women, or the valued position in society you’ve always fantasized about.
Whatever your motivation is, you need to start working toward something; that means setting goals and creating plans. Fail big and fail often but don’t let it stop you.
Spend More Time Alone
Sigma males are naturally introverts, so they spend much time alone. However, they can spend this time working toward their goals and building businesses. As a gamma male, you are much more extroverted; you get energized by spending time with others.
But being successful is often about putting in the lonely hours working alone; you just can’t do that if you spend every evening socializing. Luckily, this is also something that’s easy to change. I recommend you start with a few weeks of monk mode when you focus on work and reduce distractions and all social interactions. If the loneliness begins to affect your productivity, go recharge with friends.
Become a Beta Male
Beta men are not the weak, emasculated stereotype that the name implies. In fact, beta males are second in the socio-sexual hierarchy, so they have a high standing among men.
Find an Alpha
For a gamma male, this shouldn’t be too hard. You probably already know some alpha males in your work life or personal life. Go offer them something.
Alpha males can only be on top with the support of the beta males below them. It’s a two-way relationship; the alpha male gets to be in charge and also pulls the betas above the other men in the hierarchy. You’ll often find beta males in middle management positions. For this reason, the boss has pulled them up.
In exchange for the increase in social status, the beta males do the bidding of the alpha. The alpha male needs good beta men to help him get things done. So if you want to be a beta male, you must do things for the alpha. Eventually, you will curry favor with him, and the alpha-beta relationship will start.
Copy Other Beta Males
Gamma males don’t like to follow societal norms. Piercings, dreadlocks, worn-out clothes, etc. But beta males are the complete opposite; they follow traditional norms to the tee. This is because their position is based on the acceptance of society.
It might be a challenge for you to start dressing differently, to change how you speak or act, but it’s a necessary adjustment to go from gamma to beta. Remind yourself that these things are holding you back from the success you so badly want.
If you’re unsure how to make these changes, look to other beta males around you and copy them. For example, a suit will make you look more masculine, and a short haircut and less slang will make you seem more respectable in societies and the alpha mind.
