Social brain
How the brain combines our opinions with online reviews
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
The human brain updates personal judgments using social advice by weighting both opinions according to how certain they are.
Key findings
Participants updated their valuations to match online ratings more when they felt unsure about their initial judgment or when the online rating was backed by a larger pool of reviewers. Brain scans showed that a region called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex represented both liking and confidence along a spatial gradient. Additionally, activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex tracked how much a participant updated their opinion on each trial, showing greater activity in individuals who successfully resisted peer influence.
Methodology
We recruited 22 participants, ultimately analyzing 18 participants who completed an fMRI experiment. In the first phase, participants rated their interest in 210 products and noted how sure they were of each choice. Later, in the scanner, they saw the items again alongside genuine online reviews before submitting a second preference rating and confidence score.
Limitations
The study relied on a small sample of 18 participants, which limits the generalizability of the findings to broader populations. Because the task simulated passive shopping decisions, it does not show how social information is integrated during high-stakes choices or in real-world social interactions. Furthermore, the fMRI results show correlation, meaning they cannot prove that the active brain areas are causally necessary for Bayesian integration.
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