Does Stress Make Us More Susceptible to Political Misinformation?

• In Event: The Foundations of Political Misinformation

Abstract

Stress is known to cause more reactive behavior and quick, non-critical decisions. We expect that the cognitive processes by which stress affects behavior will also affect how one engages with misinformation. Specifically, we expect that under stress, people will pay more attention to misinformation, will perceive misinformation as more likely to be true, and will be more likely to share the content with others. We test these expectations using a combination of survey and lab experiments that induce elevated cognitive load and track behavior in a simulated social media environment. We also use physiological measures, mainly skin conductance, to capture biological markers of stress related to engagement with misinformation. Our work lays the groundwork for a broader research agenda on whether stress-reducing interventions are effective in slowing the spread of misinformation.

Authors

• Elaine K. Denny, University of California, Merced

• Melissa Baker, University of Texas at El Paso