Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha

the drive for love, the drive for improvement, and the decision to act in certain ways to achieve a higher level of self-actualization, rather than to compete with others and win a masochistic pissing contest. And because the temptation and power of sex are quite possibly the most powerful in all of life, once you are able to demonstrate your ability to understand and master those drives, any hurdle in life can be overcome.
    Still not convinced that sex is as important as we say it is? Here’s a quick quiz.

    On a scale of 1 to 10, how good do you think you are in bed?
    Put another way, if your previous sexual partners had to rate you, where would they put you?

    We’ve asked 300 men these same two questions, and not one of them responded with less than an 8 on either one.
    Either every person we interviewed is a stud, or this quiz is giving us an important piece of info about men: they need to think of themselves as sexually competent in order to feel competent as men. It’s just how you define yourself.
    This isn’t something to be embarrassed about. Yes—there are other factors that define who you are. How you treat people matters, whether you’re a good father or influence makes a difference, and doing your best to be a good human being will always be important. But on a primal level—your subconscious drivers of masculinity are strength and virility. These are a direct reflection of your ability not only to produce a family but also to protect it.
    We were born to procreate and protect. No one can deny this sociological reality. And these priorities stem from sex and your sex drive. It doesn’t matter if you believe in evolution or creationism—sex drive and the ability to reproduce and expand your legacy (through children) are an area of pride, joy, confidence, and motivation.

    THE UNKNOWN POWER OF SEX
    Accepting that sex is important is essential; it means you recognize that it’s an important part of life, of relationships, and on the highest psychological level, it’s directly tied to building a more confident and successful self. Here’s why: University of Chicago researchers discovered that sexual frustration—a lack of interest in sex—is growing. If you feel this issue, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Some studies show that up to 20 percent of men have a declining interest in sex.
    In non-survey studies, the reasons listed for a lower sex drive are a powerful warning shot to your masculinity, and one that deserves your attention. In a study conducted in Massachusetts, a little more than 10 percent of men mentioned having a lower sex drive compared to what they feel is normal. Of those with a drop in libido, nearly 30 percent had subpar testosterone levels. In the scientific world, that’s what we call statistically significant. In your terms: that’s no coincidence.
    That dwindling sex drive opens Pandora’s box on your sex life. We found more studies than we’d care to share (thirty-seven, to be exact) that showed a relationship between less sex and more stress. (On the flip side, the more sex you have, the less stress you experience.) Here’s where performance anxiety takes a nasty turn.
    As we’ve mentioned, stress increases your cortisol levels. Doctors have linked nearly every kind of stress to an increase in cortisol levels—and that includes illness, major life changes (such as losing a job or experiencing marital problems), and even nervousness and uncertainty. While we don’t know the direct impact of how much those increases in cortisol affect your sex life, we do know that cortisol is kryptonite for your libido. So the more stress you have in your life, the more your sex life is suffering.
    But new research from the University of Chicago is shedding light on just how significant cortisol can be in harming your sex life. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, men who slept fewer than five hours a night experienced a 15 percent drop in testosterone. And that drop was directly correlated to—and potentially caused by—an increase in cortisol. That might not seem like much, but these were twenty-four-year-old men who suddenly had the testosterone levels of someone fifteen years older.
    The worst part? That’s just one week of sleep deprivation. Imagine more. Or imagine that lack of sleep compounded with all the other stressors in your life.
    Just in case you’re not intimidated by that study, consider this fact: according to research