Every single company I joined that promised a stress-free environment has outright lied to me to the point that I will find it suspicions if HR mentions how happy and balanced the work is. It is a huge deal for me but HR will never be honest about it to me because if they did they wouldn't hire much and would be replaced by someone who says "Working here is a fun challenge where you will be tested for your vast knowledge, quick understanding of complicated subjects, reason about its working and explain it to superiors, quality and fast deliveries of working products, and will certainly grow like no where else!"

This reminds me of the author of "Man's Search for Meaning" who wrote a international master piece while on a concentration camp. Yes, growth is there to be had, but that is an experience I would rather avoid, thank you.

Believing HR is like asking a barber if you need a haircut. You already know what the answer will be. I think it’s easier to get an accurate answer by asking tangentially related questions in the interview.

>This confuses the point with “doing work you may not want to do”

No. An example: Maybe you find “fulfilling” work but the pay is half what you could make elsewhere in your job market.

In that case, you should be certain that you are somehow compensated non-monetarily for that “missing half” of your salary. Otherwise you are simply making a donation to the company by working for much less than market-clearing salary.