The neuroscience of persuasion: A review with an emphasis on issues and opportunities

Abstract

Persuasion, a prevalent form of social influence in humans, refers to an active attempt to change a person’s attitudes, beliefs, or behavior. There is a growing literature on the neural correlates of persuasion. As is often the case in an emerging literature, however, there are a number of questions, concerns, and alternative interpretations that can be raised about the research and interpretations. We provide a critical review of the research, noting potential problems and issues that warrant attention to move the field forward. Among the recommendations are greater integration of neuroimaging approaches with existing behavioral theories and methods on the information processes (cognitive and affective) underlying persuasion, and moving beyond solely correlative approaches for specifying underlying neural mechanisms. Work in this area has the potential to contribute to our understanding of brain–behavior relationships as well as to advance our understanding of persuasion and social influence more generally.