Stress vs. Tension: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on October 3, 2023
"Stress" generally refers to mental, emotional, or physical strain or tension, while "Tension" often pertains to a strained state or condition resulting from forces acting in opposition.
Key Differences
"Stress" can manifest in various forms, be it emotional stress due to work or physical stress experienced in materials like steel. "Tension," on the other hand, is often used to describe a situation or substance being pulled tight, either literally or metaphorically.
"Stress" is a term that can relate to psychology, physiology, and even physics. In contrast, "Tension" commonly deals with the pulling force exerted on something, whether it's a rope or a relationship.
"Stress" often has a broader application, including internal pressures, whether emotional, mental, or physical. "Tension" is more externally situational, generally referring to opposing forces or elements that create a tight or strained condition.
While "Stress" can describe the internal state of an individual or material, "Tension" is often the external situation or condition that may result in stress.
Both "Stress" and "Tension" are terms that can be used in multiple contexts, but while stress is more about the internal experience or the effect, tension is often about the cause or the external environment.
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Comparison Chart
Context
Broader applications
More specific situations
Domain
Emotional, Physical
Mechanical, Relational
Directionality
Internal experience
External forces
Function
Effect
Cause
Emotional Component
Often present
May or may not be
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Stress and Tension Definitions
Stress
Physical force
The stress on the bridge raises safety concerns.
Tension
Mechanical force
The tension in the rope was high.
Stress
Mental pressure
Stress before exams is common.
Tension
Electrical potential
Voltage causes electrical tension.
Stress
Importance, significance, or emphasis placed on something.
Tension
Situational strain
Tensions rose during the meeting.
Stress
The relative force with which a sound or syllable is spoken.
Tension
The act or process of stretching something tight.
Stress
The emphasis placed on the sound or syllable spoken most forcefully in a word or phrase.
Tension
The condition of so being stretched; tautness.
Stress
The relative force of sound or emphasis given a syllable or word in accordance with a metrical pattern.
Tension
A force tending to stretch or elongate something.
Stress
A syllable having strong relative emphasis in a metrical pattern.
Tension
A measure of such a force
A tension on the cable of 50 pounds.
Stress
An accent or mark representing such emphasis or force.
Tension
Mental, emotional, or nervous strain
Working under great tension to make a deadline.
Stress
The internal distribution of force per unit area within a body subject to an applied force or system of forces.
Tension
Barely controlled hostility or a strained relationship between people or groups
The dangerous tension between opposing military powers.
Stress
The internal resistance of a body to such an applied force or system of forces.
Tension
A balanced relation between strongly opposing elements
"the continuing, and essential, tension between two of the three branches of government, judicial and legislative" (Haynes Johnson).
Stress
A condition of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain
"He presided over the economy during the period of its greatest stress and danger" (Robert J. Samuelson).
Tension
The interplay of conflicting elements in a piece of literature, especially a poem.
Stress
A condition of physiological or psychological disturbance to the normal functioning or well-being of an organism, occurring as a response to any of various environmental or psychosocial stimuli. Signs and symptoms of stress in humans include increased blood pressure, insomnia, and irritability.
Tension
A device for regulating tautness, especially a device that controls the tautness of thread on a sewing machine or loom.
Stress
A stimulus or circumstance causing such a condition
Couldn't stand the stresses of the job and quit.
Tension
(Electricity) Voltage or potential; electromotive force.
Stress
To place emphasis on
Stressed basic fire safety in her talk.
Tension
To subject to tension; tighten.
Stress
To give prominence of sound to (a syllable or word) in pronouncing or in accordance with a metrical pattern.
Tension
The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other.
Stress
(Informal) To subject to physiological or mental stress or strain. Often used with out
The pressure of the deadline is really stressing me out.
Tension
Psychological state of being tense.
Stress
To subject to mechanical pressure or force.
Tension
A feeling of nervousness, excitement, or fear that is created in a movie, book, etc.; suspense.
Stress
To undergo physiological or mental stress, as from working too much. Often used with out.
Tension
State of an elastic object which is stretched in a way which increases its length.
Stress
(biology) A physical, chemical, infective agent aggressing an organism.
Tension
Force transmitted through a rope, string, cable, or similar object (used with prepositions on, in, or of, e.g., "The tension in the cable is 1000 N", to convey that the same magnitude of force applies to objects attached to both ends).
Stress
(biology) Aggression toward an organism resulting in a response in an attempt to restore previous conditions.
Tension
Voltage. Usually only the terms low tension, high tension, and extra-high tension, and the abbreviations LT, HT, and EHT are used. They are not precisely defined; LT is normally a few volts, HT a few hundreds of volts, and EHT thousands of volts.
Stress
The internal distribution of force across a small boundary per unit area of that boundary (pressure) within a body. It causes strain or deformation and is typically symbolised by σ or τ.
Tension
To place an object in tension, to pull or place strain on.
We tensioned the cable until it snapped.
Stress
Force externally applied to a body which cause internal stress within the body.
Tension
The act of stretching or straining; the state of being stretched or strained to stiffness; the state of being bent strained; as, the tension of the muscles, tension of the larynx.
Stress
(uncountable) Emotional pressure suffered by a human being or other animal.
Go easy on him, he's been under a lot of stress lately.
Tension
Fig.: Extreme strain of mind or excitement of feeling; intense effort.
Stress
A suprasegmental feature of a language having additional attention raised to a sound, word or word group by means of of loudness, duration or pitch; phonological prominence.
Some people put the stress on the first syllable of “controversy”; others put it on the second.
Tension
The degree of stretching to which a wire, cord, piece of timber, or the like, is strained by drawing it in the direction of its length; strain.
Stress
The suprasegmental feature of a language having additional attention raised to a sound by means of of loudness and/or duration; phonological prominence phonetically achieved by means of dynamics as distinct from pitch.
Tension
The force by which a part is pulled when forming part of any system in equilibrium or in motion; as, the tension of a srting supporting a weight equals that weight.
Stress
(uncountable) Emphasis placed on a particular point in an argument or discussion (whether spoken or written).
Tension
A device for checking the delivery of the thread in a sewing machine, so as to give the stitch the required degree of tightness.
Stress
Obsolete form of distress
Tension
Expansive force; the force with which the particles of a body, as a gas, tend to recede from each other and occupy a larger space; elastic force; elasticity; as, the tension of vapor; the tension of air.
Stress
Distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.
Tension
The quality in consequence of which an electric charge tends to discharge itself, as into the air by a spark, or to pass from a body of greater to one of less electrical potential. It varies as the quantity of electricity upon a given area.
Stress
(transitive) To apply force to (a body or structure) causing strain.
Tension
Feelings of hostility that are not manifest;
He could sense her latent hostility to him
The diplomats' first concern was to reduce international tensions
Stress
(transitive) To apply emotional pressure to (a person or animal).
Tension
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense;
He suffered from fatigue and emotional tension
Stress is a vasoconstrictor
Stress
To suffer stress; to worry or be agitated.
Tension
The physical condition of being stretched or strained;
It places great tension on the leg muscles
He could feel the tenseness of her body
Stress
(transitive) To emphasise (a syllable of a word).
“Emphasis” is stressed on the first syllable, but “emphatic” is stressed on the second.
Tension
A balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature);
There is a tension created between narrative time and movie time
There is a tension between these approaches to understanding history
Stress
(transitive) To emphasise (words in speaking).
Tension
(physics) a stress that produces an elongation of an elastic physical body;
The direction of maximum tension moves asymptotically toward the direction of the shear
Stress
(transitive) To emphasise (a point) in an argument or discussion.
I must stress that this information is given in strict confidence.
Tension
The action of stretching something tight;
Tension holds the belt in the pulleys
Stress
Distress.
Sad hersal of his heavy stress.
Tension
Emotional strain
The tension between them was palpable.
Stress
Pressure, strain; - used chiefly of immaterial things; except in mechanics; hence, urgency; importance; weight; significance.
The faculties of the mind are improved by exercise, yet they must not be put to a stress beyond their strength.
A body may as well lay too little as too much stress upon a dream.
Tension
Musical dissonance
Tension in the chords resolved at the end.
Stress
The force, or combination of forces, which produces a strain; force exerted in any direction or manner between contiguous bodies, or parts of bodies, and taking specific names according to its direction, or mode of action, as thrust or pressure, pull or tension, shear or tangential stress.
Stress is the mutual action between portions of matter.
Stress
Force of utterance expended upon words or syllables. Stress is in English the chief element in accent and is one of the most important in emphasis. See Guide to pronunciation, 31-35.
Stress
Distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.
Stress
To press; to urge; to distress; to put to difficulties.
Stress
To subject to stress, pressure, or strain.
Stress
To subject to phonetic stress; to accent.
Stress
To place emphasis on; to make emphatic; emphasize.
Stress
The relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch);
He put the stress on the wrong syllable
Stress
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense;
He suffered from fatigue and emotional tension
Stress is a vasoconstrictor
Stress
(physics) force that produces strain on a physical body;
The intensity of stress is expressed in units of force divided by units of area
Stress
Special emphasis attached to something;
The stress was more on accuracy than on speed
Stress
Difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension;
She endured the stresses and strains of life
He presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger
Stress
To stress, single out as important;
Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet
Stress
Put stress on; utter with an accent;
In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word
Stress
Test the limits of;
You are trying my patience!
Stress
Emotional strain
The stress of the job is getting to him.
Stress
Intensity in language
The word object has stress on the first syllable.
Stress
Deformation force
Stress can cause materials to break.
FAQs
What is Tension?
Tension refers to a state of being stretched tight.
Can Stress cause Tension?
Yes, stress can lead to tension in various contexts.
How is Tension measured?
As a force in newtons in mechanical contexts.
Is Stress a force?
In physics, yes; in psychology, it's a form of strain.
Is Tension a force?
In mechanical contexts, yes.
Is Stress always emotional?
No, stress can also be physical or mental.
How is Stress measured?
In psychology, through questionnaires; in physics, as force per unit area.
What is Stress?
Stress refers to mental, emotional, or physical strain.
Is Tension always physical?
No, it can be emotional or situational.
Can you have Tension without Stress?
Yes, tension can exist without causing stress.
Can Tension cause Stress?
Yes, tension can lead to stress, particularly emotional stress.
Is Stress always negative?
No, there's positive stress known as eustress.
Can you have Stress without Tension?
Yes, one can experience stress without overt tension.
Is Tension always negative?
Not necessarily, it can also be functional, as in music.
Are Stress and Tension interchangeable?
They are related but not usually interchangeable, as they often refer to different aspects of strain or force.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
