My version is 1.39. The dress bug is still here.
And you are right : talk is something else that stress.
But I think there is another bug with stress : if i launch a new game without quitting the program, I always have too stress for fork.
I can do nothing : "too stressed for work", so I can't make money...
Can't eat, can't talk...
And I think there is a bug : the menu to modify the dress is always on.