At this year’s International Student Congress of (bio)Medical Sciences (ISCOMS), held in Groningen, UMCG’s Stress in Action (SiA) colleagues hosted a panel session titled “Innovating Stress Research: from Lab to Real Life“. The session brought together perspectives from bioethics, social science, and epidemiology to reflect on the conceptual, ethical, and collaborative dimensions of studying stress in everyday life.

The panel was moderated by Els Maeckelberghe, Associate Professor in Medical Ethics at the University of Groningen. Panel members Malin Meyer and Felix Reichelt, both PhD candidates in the SiA project, guided the audience through an engaging and thought-provoking session centred on two major themes: how to conceptualize and study the complex phenomenon of ‘stress’ and how to navigate the ethical implications of real-life stress research.

Felix Reichelt opened the session with a concise overview of the history of stress research. He traced the conceptual and methodological shifts from early biomedical models to more contemporary approaches that emphasise complexity, context, and individual variability. He also highlighted the ongoing challenge of operationalising the concept of stress in ways that are scientifically rigorous while remaining relevant to real-world conditions.

Malin Meyer then addressed the question of what daily life stressors are, and why conceptualizing and studying stressors matters. She discussed four key dimensions of daily life stressor research: theoretical perspectives, the multi-level nature of stressors, the relevance of considering different social groups, and the role of different disciplinary lenses in studying stressors.

A central point of discussion throughout the panel was how ‘stress’ should be defined. The audience was invited to reflect on this question through interactive elements, including live quizzes and open dialogue, which made the session engaging. The debate revealed the diversity of perspectives in the room, mirroring the interdisciplinary ethos of SiA.

Equally central was the conversation on ethical considerations. Els Maeckelberghe guided the panel in addressing the responsibilities that come with collecting real-time, continuous data in everyday life. Questions were raised about privacy, autonomy, and the long-term implications of monitoring stress beyond clinical or laboratory settings. How can researchers balance scientific curiosity with ethical care? How do we ensure that the individuals whose lives we study are not reduced to data points, but remain agents in the research process?

The panel succeeded in illustrating the broader goals of the Stress in Action programme: to produce tools and insights that are not only scientifically innovative, but also theoretically grounded and socially relevant.