Following our expert interview series (2024-2026), we now simplify the science of stress, disentangling it piece by piece, in 10–15-minute episodes. In this series, we break down the latest research on stress in daily life and the technology to measure it into, as the name indicates, core concepts. Together with Stress in Action’s PhD candidates and postdocs, we get to the core of stress theory, health outcomes, measurements, mobile technology, and a stress monitoring toolkit for interventions.

But first, let us introduce the Core Concepts road map. This roadmap shows how the episodes are structured. The first episodes dive into what we primarily study in stress research, namely stress responses caused by stressors. The next episodes explain why we study these concepts and their interconnection. Then, the episodes will cover how the stress responses are measured, how we use these methods to develop the Stress in Action toolkit, and how the toolkit is supported by statistical methods and ethical considerations. The final episodes provide an outlook on what’s next. Our goal is to use the toolkit to develop stress interventions, which can help regulate stress responses to ultimately help prevent negative health outcomes.

We all experience stress in our daily lives. Although it’s complex and multifaceted, we want you to help you better understand it.