The Myth of Monkey Boss Stress

In 1958, Scientific American published research indicating that bosses suffer more stress than their underlings. Titled “Ulcers in ‘Executive’ Monkeys,” the study subjected pairs of rhesus macaques to electric shocks every 20 seconds over periods of six hours. By pressing a lever, the “executive” monkey could protect both from being shocked. And while both monkeys endured equal amounts of torture, those in control fared much worse, developing more ulcers. Some executive monkeys even dropped dead.

Never mind that monkey bosses aren’t human bosses, this research—which was done by behavioral scientist and Army colonel Joseph Vincent Brady, known for psychologically preparing simians for space travel—led to the concept of “executive stress syndrome.” To this day, there’s a notion that increased power comes with a bigger load of crushing demands. Oh, the 24/7 pressures of responsibility and decision-making!