Hans Selye: The Stress of Life

This book is also an almost timeless piece, still very valid even if it was first published in 1956, written by Hans Selye, a Biologist researcher from Montreal, with Hungarian origins.

Nowadays tremendous literature is devoted to the topic of stress and plenty books may be found in abundance about stress. But still, Selye’s findings are of relevance even today. All theories as well as all schools of stress base their work on Selye’s earlier studies and definitions. His researches all equated to breakthroughs in an area, which had been in its infance those times. This early book is anyway still captivating, describing a scientific breakthrough discovery in style that even general public can follow. The author offers his study for those ones who, „do not fear sensing their entire life’s stresses, and who do not expect, that this can be carried out without the exertion of mental powers.”

As the founder of the „positive-stress school”, he says that, the very same stress that leads to illness in one person, may be an empowering force for someone „who moulds himself successfully to the continually changing life conditions of the Planet.”

He summarizes the essence of his theory in a wonderfully eloquent way, saying that „a person who does not adequately master the skills of adaptation, will pay the penalty with illness and unhappiness.” His scientific breakthrough, and exceptional discovery was the definition of the symptoms of stress, the so-called „general adaptation syndrome”, summarized in its Biological-Medical description. This was defined after focusing on the puzzling question, as to whether a live organism reacts exactly the same way, universally and generally to differing and specific adversities, so called stressors.

Stress is not perceived by him as a detriment to be avoided, he emphasizes that it is essential, it is „the pepper and salt of life”. He suggests that we should be well aware of the upper limits of our stress tolerance, and our adaptation energies must be used for important purposes.

„Keep on fighting, if there is a noble objective, but do not fight, if it has no worth” – this poetic piece of advice is repeated on numerous pages, highlighting the fact that our lives are in our hands, and we must take responibility for it. (Saying so, we should not try to change others, but alternatively change ourselves, if necessary.)

He had his research as a Biologist, however his findings surpassed the realms of the physical, and biological sphere, and contributed greatly to psychological, and sociological areas by calling our attention to the significance of self-realisation and human empathy.

The secret of stress handling is suggested by him referencing the main biblical thought, of „love your neighbour as yourself”, interpreted in his own words like: „Live your life in a way to earn other people’s love.”

It is indeed inspiring to read what he describes about the importance of self-esteem, about the crucial skill to cope with failure, about the threats of emotional hurt – and as a Biologist, as an expert of the material world how does he come to indisputable conclusions concerning areas that go far beyond the scope of material.