The Impact of Mental Health on Cybersecurity Behavior

Psychology draws a distinction between “states” which are short-term influences on behavior and “traits” which are more durable parts of an individual’s personality. Research typically focuses on traits but often neglects the more transient reasons why people take shortcuts or make suboptimal decisions. In this talk, we will cover the impact of mental health on cybersecurity behaviors. The audience will learn about the toxic and corrosive effect of certain hormones and neurotransmitters on attention and working memory. Then, we will transition the discussion to resilience and cover how one overcomes adversity through positive adaptivity. Finally, we will conclude with a discussion of strategies for building positive mental health and connect those strategies back to positive cybersecurity behaviors.