Citation

Canetti D, Gross M, Waismel-Manor I, Levanon A, Cohen H. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 2017; 20(2): 72-77.

Affiliation

Head, anxiety & Stress Research Unit, Division of Psychiatry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Beer-Sheva, Israel .

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/cyber.2016.0338

PMID

28121462

Abstract

Do cyberattacks fuel the politics of threat? By what mechanism does it do so? To address these questions, we employ a technological 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.

Language: en

Keywords

cortisol; cyberterror; exposure; stress; terrorism; threat perception