Toxicology
Hormesis
A dose-response phenomenon where low doses of a stressor that is harmful at high doses actually produces beneficial effects. The inverted U-shaped dose-response curve.
Biological Context
Low doses of radiation stimulate DNA repair enzymes; moderate exercise damages muscles that rebuild stronger; brief fasting activates cellular maintenance pathways. The key is dose: too little has no effect, optimal dose triggers adaptation, too much causes damage. Hormesis explains why some stress is beneficial.
Business Application
Business hormesis: companies that used crises to get stronger. Airbnb and Amazon emerged stronger from 2008 because moderate stress triggered adaptation. The key is controlled stress—enough to trigger improvement, not enough to cause damage.