In the digital era, privacy has become a central concern in applied psychology research. Privacy disclosure refers to individuals sharing personal information such as identity, address, health, or financial data. In everyday life, people often trade privacy for access to online services in social, commercial, and medical contexts. However, voluntary disclosure can increase vulnerability to information leakage, raising important issues for both security and individual decision-making. Previous studies suggest that privacy disclosure is closely linked to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which plays a role in inhibitory control and value evaluation processes. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, allows researchers to modulate cortical activity and examine causal links between neural regions and behavior.


The present study investigated the distinct roles of the left and right DLPFC in privacy disclosure decisions using HD-tDCS across two experiments. Study 1 recruited 120 participants and applied anodal, cathodal, or sham stimulation to the right DLPFC. Results showed that cathodal stimulation significantly increased attitudes and intentions toward privacy disclosure, with men reporting higher disclosure intentions than women. This suggests that the right DLPFC contributes to inhibitory processes, and its suppression increases the likelihood of disclosure. Study 2, involving another independent sample of 120 participants, applied stimulation to the left DLPFC. Findings revealed that cathodal stimulation significantly decreased disclosure attitudes and intentions. This indicates that the left DLPFC is associated with value-based decision-making, emphasizing rewards and benefits of disclosure. Inhibiting this region reduced the perceived value of disclosure and thus lowered disclosure behaviors.


These results provide novel insights into the neural mechanisms underlying privacy decisions, bridging applied psychology and cognitive neuroscience. By applying HD-tDCS, this study not only advances theoretical understanding of self-disclosure but also highlights potential applications in privacy management, digital well-being, and clinical interventions.