--- title: What Brain Scans Tell Us About Website Trust Signals description: Online shoppers found trust seals more trust-building than star ratings and vendor assurances in this innovative neuroimaging study. image: https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/shutterstock_1647126_azIWe.jpg --- [![Trust Signals Trademark](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%20Trademark.png?width=300&height=82&name=Trust%20Signals%20Trademark.png) ](https://www.trustsignals.com/) - [About](https://www.trustsignals.com/about) - [Book](https://book.trustsignals.com) - [Blog](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) - [Rankings](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/rankings) - [Contact](https://www.trustsignals.com/contact) [ << Back to Blog ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) [Website Design & Experience](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/website-design-experience) # What Brain Scans Tell Us About Website Trust Signals ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) ###### Scott Baradell **Published:** Oct 29, 2021 ###### Share [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/what-brain-scans-tell-us-about-website-trust-signals%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/what-brain-scans-tell-us-about-website-trust-signals&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/7507638/shutterstock_1647126_azIWe.jpg](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/what-brain-scans-tell-us-about-website-trust-signals%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/what-brain-scans-tell-us-about-website-trust-signals&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/7507638/shutterstock_1647126_azIWe.jpg) Marketers have begun to explore the use of neuroimaging—functional MRI brain scans—in determining what trust signals have the biggest impact on specific audiences. In 2019, academics Luis-Alberto Casado-Aranda. Angelika Dimoka and Juan Sánchez-Fernández published a [study in the Journal of Interactive Marketing](https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joinma/v47y2019icp159-180.html) in which they used neuroimaging to compare the reaction of online shoppers to [website trust signals](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/77-trust-signals-to-increase-your-online-conversion-rate). The researchers tested three types of signals:  1. [Trust seals](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/trust-seals-from-medieval-kings-to-ecommerce), 2. [Star ratings based on customer feedback](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/how-are-review-site-star-ratings-calculated-the-answer-is-not-what-you-think), and 3. Vendor “assurance statements.” The study, conducted at the University of Granada in Spain, monitored 29 shoppers in the purchase process for a book. They were shown the [Confianza Online](https://www.confianzaonline.es/) security trust seal; a ratings table featuring five-star and near five-star ratings for the bookseller; and statements by the bookseller providing assurances on shipping, privacy and security. ## Trust Seals Over Star Ratings The research showed that shoppers trusted the trust seals most and the star ratings least, with assurance statements somewhere in the middle. The report stated that “third-party certificates are far more trustworthy than rating systems given the activation in previously hypothesized ventral striatum and septal areas.” Translation: the Confianza Online seal activated parts of the brain showing trust, while the star ratings activated parts of the brain revealing feelings of ambiguity and risk.  Previous neuroimaging research has tested the impact of variables like pricing and website usability on shopper trust. As the cost of neuroimaging has come down in recent years, studies of this kind represent a feasible way for marketers to compare a specific audience’s reactions to different potential trust signals—and to get more accurate results than a survey might yield. [![Ready to make your brand more visible and trustworthy to both human buyers and AI systems?](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/7507638/interactive-153859540751.png) ](https://cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com/web-interactives/public/v1/track/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLICw8PcBcsYLk6IU86PbUJVD4ht0ARlOHe5qwlBTbNVhg9HY8LTg8DdECQ2XlW4vycH4chdyZQHjjTFKxXdLRTxZWpkBLwu6RN4A9rVuBksXRMsSWl26aqBL6a%2FT8%2F3AroNkKaaV8J1AL2s7ePK%2BVQSZkEI4r7aWgaRKnv56Au6GqVfN5Vbw%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=153859540751&portalId=7507638) ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) #### Scott Baradell Scott is founder and CEO of Idea Grove, one of the most forward-looking public relations agencies in the United States. Idea Grove focuses on helping technology companies reach media and buyers, with clients ranging from venture-backed startups to Fortune 100 companies. ###### Blog posts ## Related Articles [Book Excerpts](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/book-excerpts) ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) ##### Scott Baradell ### [Chapter 10: The Grow With TRUST System](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/chapter-10-the-grow-with-trust-system) *(Following is Chapter 10 of[Trust Signals: Brand Building in a Post-Truth World](https://book.trustsignals.com/).)* I started Idea... [ Read more ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/chapter-10-the-grow-with-trust-system) [Book Excerpts](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/book-excerpts) ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) ##### Scott Baradell ### [Chapter 3: The Eternal Power of Trust Signals](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/the-eternal-power-of-trust-signals) *(Following is Chapter 3 of  [Trust Signals: Brand Building in a Post-Truth World](https://book.trustsignals.com/).)* Since the... [ Read more ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/the-eternal-power-of-trust-signals) [![Trust Signals, a Registered Trademark of Idea Grove LLC](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%2c%20a%20Registered%20Trademark%20of%20Idea%20Grove%20LLC.png?width=300&height=82&name=Trust%20Signals%2c%20a%20Registered%20Trademark%20of%20Idea%20Grove%20LLC.png) ](https://www.trustsignals.com/?hsLang=en) - [Latest Articles](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) - [Must-Reads](https://www.trustsignals.com/must-reads) - [Contact](https://www.trustsignals.com/contact) [Privacy Policy](https://www.ideagrove.com/privacy-policy/)  |  [Terms of Use](https://www.ideagrove.com/terms-of-use)  |  All Rights Reserved. © 2024 Idea Grove LLC [Follow us on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/trust-signals) [Follow us on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/Trust_Signals) [Follow us on Instagram ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAZE-jawJu0kizmRKCb7A0w) [Follow us on Quora ](https://www.quora.com/profile/Scott-Baradell) [Idea Grove Website ](https://www.ideagrove.com/) [Follow us on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/DallasSEO/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Scott Baradell", "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/author/scott-baradell" }, "dateModified" : "2021-10-29T18:07:46.710Z", "datePublished" : "2021-10-29T17:56:59.000Z", "headline" : "What Brain Scans Tell Us About Website Trust Signals", "image" : [ "https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/shutterstock_1647126_azIWe.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/what-brain-scans-tell-us-about-website-trust-signals", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%20-%20Phase%201%20Redesign/trust-signals-logo-1.svg" }, "name" : "Media Orchard LLC" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Dallas", "addressRegion" : "TX" }, "alternateName" : [ "TrustSignals", "Trust Signals Marketing" ], "description" : "Trust Signals is a B2B PR and AI visibility agency founded by Scott Baradell, creator of the Trust Signals® framework. 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