Have you ever felt angry, humiliated or intimidated when reading commentary online?

In online environments, we are exposed to content which may be rude, disrespectful, or intended to humiliate or intimidate us, or the groups and communities we belong to. This type of content online can be particularly harmful as it triggers the stress response.

The stress response is a natural and automatic physiological response to a perceived threat, designed to improve our chances of survival.

When we feel stressed, a number of changes occur in our brain and body to prepare us for potential threats. This response is also known as the fight or flight response, named to reflect our body’s reaction to perceived danger. In response to stress, our body releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline which increases blood and oxygen to our muscles, preparing our body for action.

The stress response is activated by perceived attacks to the self, including those which are psychological (as opposed to solely physical) in nature.

In other words, our brains are prepared to protect us from someone swinging a big stick at us, but also ready to defend against verbal sticks and stones.

Recognising the role our biological stress response plays to psychological attack can help us understand and predict subsequent behaviours in digital spaces, and impacts to mental health.




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