The Truth About Stress: What You’ve Been Told Might Be a Lie
Hans Selye, 1956. Photograph by Chris Lund.
You may not realize it, but much of what you think you know about stress is based on a foundation that’s, well, a bit shaky. Surprised? You’re not alone. Let’s dive into the story of Hans Selye, the so-called "Father of Stress," and uncover some shocking truths that could make you rethink everything.
Hans Selye was a pioneering researcher who put stress on the map. His groundbreaking work showed how stress affects our bodies, including the effect of stress on the immune system. He was incredibly prolific—authoring over 40 books and publishing more than 1,600 papers. But here’s something you might not know: a significant portion of his research was funded by tobacco companies.
Wait, what? Yes, you heard that right. The very same companies that brought you cigarettes had a vested interest in stress research. But why would tobacco companies care about stress? It’s simple: by the 1960s, they were facing lawsuits left and right. They needed a defense, and Selye’s research was perfect. They could argue, "Smoking isn’t the problem—stress is! And smoking helps people manage stress!" In fact, Selye even testified before the U.S. Congress, suggesting that smoking might actually benefit stressed-out people. What he didn’t disclose? That he was receiving substantial funding from the tobacco industry for his research.
So, should we trust Selye’s research?
Selye’s work wasn’t entirely wrong. He did conduct legitimate research on how stress affects the body, and his findings have been influential. But—and it’s a big but—his research has some serious flaws. When evaluating scientific studies, we have to ask critical questions: Are the studies measuring what they claim to measure? Not necessarily. Were there proper control groups? Not always. Can other researchers replicate the results? Some, but again, often no. And, of course, who funded the research? Hmmm…
Selye’s research led many of us to believe that stress is inherently toxic. But is it really?
Most of what we "know" about stress comes from Selye’s work. He made us believe that stress is extremely harmful and should be avoided at all costs. But let’s take a closer look. Imagine being subjected to electric shocks, extreme temperatures, forced exercise, loud noises, or being immobilized or isolated for long periods. Does that sound like stress to you? Or does it sound more like something else? Torture maybe? Aubse? Traumatic experiences?
That’s right—Selye’s experiments were incredibly extreme, and today we’d likely classify them as studying trauma, not stress. Torture, abuse, and trauma, not the everyday stress that most of us experience. With our modern understanding of trauma and knowing that much of Selye’s research was funded by tobacco companies, we’re starting to realize that stress might not be what we’ve been led to believe.
If you’ve been conditioned to think stress is the enemy, you can thank Hans Selye. For over 40 years, he tortured lab animals, believing he was studying stress. But in reality, his experiments were too extreme to accurately reflect what we call “stress.” And while science isn’t perfect and mistakes happen, Selye’s influence was enormous. He truly convinced us that ALL stress is bad, even though he wasn’t really studying stress at all.
In the later years of his career, Selye did backpedal a bit, acknowledging that not all stress is harmful. But by then, the damage was done—we’d been told to avoid stress like the plague. But is that even possible? And is it really the solution?
In the coming articles, we’re going to unpack this complex topic further. We’ll explore what stress really is, how it affects our bodies, and how we can manage it in a healthier way. Stay tuned!
See Also:
Petticrew, M. P., & Lee, K. (2011). The "father of stress" meets "big tobacco": Hans Selye and the tobacco industry. American Journal of Public Health, 101(3), 411–418. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.177634
