(Press-News.org) An analysis of brain scans from 572 people reveals that activity in brain regions linked to reward and social processing can predict how effective messages will be.
Christin Scholz, Hang-Yee Chan, Emily Falk, and colleagues pooled data from 16 functional MRI studies to explore how the human brain responds to persuasive messages across various contexts, including public health campaigns, crowdfunding sites, movie trailers, and YouTube videos. Across these diverse settings, the researchers found that effective messages activated brain regions involved in anticipating and receiving rewards, as well as those related to understanding other people’s thoughts and feelings — a process known as mentalizing. These brain responses predicted not only which messages were preferred by participants who underwent brain scans, but also which messages were well received by broader audiences whose brains were not scanned. Brain activity associated with emotion predicted message effectiveness in large audiences but not in the individuals who were scanned. These results suggest that certain aspects of our neural responses — such as whether a message prompts us to think about others or evokes emotion — may serve as universal indicators of persuasiveness across people and contexts. According to the authors, these insights deepen our understanding of what makes a message effective and could inspire new, broadly applicable persuasion strategies.
END
Seeing persuasion in the brain
2025-11-04
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Allen Institute announces 2025 Next Generation Leaders
2025-11-04
SEATTLE, WASH. — November 4, 2025 — The Allen Institute’s 2025 Next Generation Leaders (NGL) cohort features eight talented researchers exploring the frontiers of bioscience and pursuing insights into biology with the potential to advance human health.
“We are so excited to welcome the newest cohort of Next Generation Leaders to the Allen Institute community. These exceptional early-career scientists are on a path to transform bioscience fields, and we look forward to being part of their journey,” said Julie Harris, Ph.D., vice president of the Allen Institute’s ...
Digital divide narrows but gaps remain for Australians as GenAI use surges
2025-11-04
The Australian Digital Inclusion Index has found almost half of Australians recently used generative AI tools, raising new opportunities and challenges for digital inclusion.
Usage was highest among students, with 79% reporting recent use, while 69% of Aussies aged 18 to 34 have also engaged with GenAI.
Overall, 46% of Australians reported recently using GenAI.
People living in remote areas were twice as likely to use AI chatbots for social connection or conversations than those in metropolitan areas.
Australians who speak a language other than English at home were more likely ...
Advanced molecular dynamics simulations capture RNA folding with high accuracy
2025-11-04
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is one of life’s most versatile molecules, with roles going far beyond being a messenger of genetic code, as it is fundamentally involved in gene regulation, processing, and maintenance across all living systems. This versatility is deeply tied to RNA’s ability to adopt complex three-dimensional shapes, known as secondary and tertiary structures. With the global rise of RNA-based therapeutics, understanding and precisely predicting secondary and tertiary structures is essential to fully harness the RNA’s ...
Chinese Neurosurgical Journal Study unveils absorbable skull device that speeds healing
2025-11-04
Closing the skull safely and securely after surgery remains one of neurosurgery’s biggest challenges. Traditional fixation systems made from titanium or semi-absorbable polymers can interfere with brain imaging, degrade unevenly, or remain in the body long after healing. These drawbacks can slow down recovery, cause discomfort, and increase the risk of complications.
To address these issues, a team led by Dr. Siyi Wanggou and Professor Xuejun Li from the Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, China, collaborated with MedArt Technology Co., Ltd., China, to develop a fully degradable cranial flap fixation system made from high-purity poly-L-lactic ...
Heatwave predictions months in advance with machine learning: A new study delivers improved accuracy and efficiency
2025-11-04
Key findings
Enhanced prediction capability: Machine learning-based system matches and in some cases outperforms traditional forecasting systems, with particular improvements in northern Europe where conventional methods struggle
Critical timing insights: Greatest forecast skill comes from atmospheric predictors 4-7 weeks before summer (mid-March), providing optimal lead time for preparation measures
Lives and livelihoods at stake: Early warning capability could help the agricultural industry and health services implement effective strategies against heatwaves, which cause increased mortality and economic ...
2.75-million-year-old stone tools may mark a turning point in human evolution
2025-11-04
WASHINGTON (Nov. 4, 2025)--Imagine early humans meticulously crafting stone tools for nearly 300,000 years, all while contending with recurring wildfires, droughts, and dramatic environmental shifts. A recent study, published in Nature Communications, brought to light remarkable evidence of enduring technological tradition from Kenya’s Turkana Basin.
An international multi-center research team has uncovered at the Namorotukunan Site one of the oldest and longest intervals of early Oldowan stone tools yet discovered, dating from approximately 2.75 ...
Climate intervention may not be enough to save coffee, chocolate and wine, new study finds
2025-11-04
A new study published in Environmental Research Letters reveals that even advanced climate intervention strategies may not be enough to secure the future of wine grapes, coffee and cacao. These crops are vital to many economies and provide livelihoods for farmers worldwide. However, they are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns cause big variations in crop yields from year to year, meaning that farmers cannot rely on the stability of their harvest, and their produce is at risk.
The researchers ...
Advanced disease modelling shows some gut bacteria can spread as rapidly as viruses
2025-11-04
Embargo 4 November 10:00 UK / 05:00 US Eastern Times
Peer-reviewed / Experimental / Bacteria
ADVANCED DISEASE MODELLING SHOWS SOME GUT BACTERIA CAN SPREAD AS RAPIDLY AS VIRUSES
Escherichia coli (E. coli), a type of bacteria commonly found in the human gut, could spread as quickly as swine flu, new research suggests.
For the first time, researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oslo, the University of Helsinki, Aalto University in Finland, and their collaborators are able to predict the rate at which one person could transmit ...
Depletion of Ukraine’s soils threatens long-term global food security
2025-11-04
Beyond the disruption to Ukraine’s food exports, the war is jeopardising the country’s long-term ability to remain the ‘breadbasket of Europe’, because its soils are gradually losing vital crop nutrients.
That is the warning issued by researchers from the UK, Ukraine and the Netherlands who say more nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium* are now being removed from soils via harvested crops than added back in. This is due to reduced access to fertilisers during the war and inefficient farming practices. Military activity has also exacerbated existing degradation and erosion ...
Hornets in town: How top predators coexist
2025-11-04
In urban environments, competing hornet species coexist by specializing on different prey species. The Kobe University study was made possible by pioneering DNA analysis of hornet larvae's gut contents and shows that cities are fascinating model systems for how predatory species adapt to environmental stress.
City gangs brutally illustrate a principle that is a staple in ecological theory, the “competitive exclusion principle”: Two species competing for the same limited resource cannot coexist. Nature seems to find more peaceful solutions. “The yellow-vented hornet and the Japanese yellow hornet are both considered urban adapters with nesting sites and activity ...