About this talk
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.
About Frans de Waal
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Frans de Waal, a renowned Dutch/American biologist and primatologist, was a leading authority on animal and human behavior. He passed away on March 14, 2024, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking work that changed how we see ourselves and our place in the animal kingdom. Frans spent his career studying primates like chimpanzees and bonobos. His research showed that many human behaviors, such as empathy, cooperation, and even politics, can also be found in our closest animal relatives. His first book, Chimpanzee Politics, famously compared the social power struggles of chimpanzees to those of human politicians. This work, along with his many other books like Mama’s Last Hug, helped make complex scientific ideas accessible to the public. He was a professor in the psychology department at Emory University and the director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. Named one of the 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine, he authored hundreds of scientific articles and several popular books that have been translated into more than 20 languages. His work continues to shape the fields of biology and psychology today.
