How Cyberattacks Terrorize: Cortisol and Personal Insecurity Jump in the Wake of Cyberattacks

By: Canetti D., Gross M., Waismel-Manor I., Levanon A., Cohen H.
Published in: Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
SDGs : SDG 16  |  Units: Social Sciences  | Time: 2017 |  Link
Description: Do cyberattacks fuel the politics of threat? By what mechanism does it do so? To address these questions, we employ a te chnological and physiological experiment (2 × 2) involving a simulated cyberattack. Participants were randomly assigned to “cyberattack” (treatment) or “no attack” (control) conditions. We find that cyber-attacks make people more likely to express threat perceptions; we suggest salivary cortisol, a measure of stress, as the mechanism bridging cyber and the politics of threat. Contrary to existing evidence, salivary cortisol is the mechanism that translates simulated exposure to cyberattacks into political threat perceptions. © Copyright 2017, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 2017.