Persuasion under pressure: the influence of persuasion principles and time constraints on phishing email susceptibility

Purpose This study aims to examine how commonly used persuasion principles (authority, scarcity) and less commonly used principles (reciprocity, social proof) influenced users’ ability to differentiate between phishing and genuine emails and whether this effect was moderated by time pressure. Design/methodology/approach In an online email management study, participants (n = 200) categorised 60 emails (50 genuine, 10 phishing) and assessed the safety of embedded URL links. Time pressure was experimentally manipulated, with participants given either 7 s (greater time pressure) or 15 s (lesser time pressure) to review each email. Emails varied in containing a common, uncommon or no persuasion principle. Findings Participants were most skilled at detecting phishing emails and unsafe links when they contained scarcity and social proof principles, indicating that a persuasion principle’s ability to deceive users may not rely on its frequency in real-world phishing attacks. While participants demonstrated greater phishing detection and URL safety awareness under lesser time pressure, the effect of persuasion principles was not significantly moderated by time constraints. Practical implications Training interventions should focus on helping users recognise persuasion principles and encourage systematic email evaluation, even under time constraints, to mitigate phishing risks.