In a world of increasing complexity and uncertainty the question how consumers learn to trust is at the heart of marketing research. Recently, cognitive neuroscience theories and methods have been suggested to be used in marketing research, because they are expected to facilitate scientific progress in the field. This expectation is primarily driven by the idea that learning more about the brains of consumers will add a new theoretical perspective to marketing research. This new neurobiological perspective might help to better explain consumer behavior. Against this background, the objective of our study was (i) to use a certain neuroimaging technique, namely functional magnetic resonance imaging, to investigate the brain regions associated with trustworthiness judgments, and (ii) to identify the neural mechanisms underlying Toulmin’s theory of argumentation, a theory that can be applied to build trust through structured communication. Our study shows that the neural mechanisms underlying Toulmin’s theory of argumentation correspond to the brain regions associated with trustworthiness judgments. Therefore, our study has both theoretical and practical implications. In particular, it demonstrates that the effects of marketing communication (e.g., in advertising) based on Toulmin’s theory of argumentation on consumer behavior is mediated by activation in trust-related brain areas. 1 Corresponding author: Marc Linzmajer, Zeppelin University, E-Mail: marc.linzmajer@zeppelin-university.de.

In a world of increasing complexity and uncertainty the question how consumers learn to trust is at the heart of marketing research. Recently, cognitive neuroscience theories and methods have been suggested to be used in marketing research, because they are expected to facilitate scientific progress in the field. This expectation is primarily driven by the idea that learning more about the brains of consumers will add a new theoretical perspective to marketing research. This new neurobiological perspective might help to better explain consumer behavior. Against this background, the objective of our study was (i) to use a certain neuroimaging technique, namely functional magnetic resonance imaging, to investigate the brain regions associated with trustworthiness judgments, and (ii) to identify the neural mechanisms underlying Toulmin’s theory of argumentation, a theory that can be applied to build trust through structured communication. Our study shows that the neural mechanisms underlying Toulmin’s theory of argumentation correspond to the brain regions associated with trustworthiness judgments. Therefore, our study has both theoretical and practical implications. In particular, it demonstrates that the effects of marketing communication (e.g., in advertising) based on Toulmin’s theory of argumentation on consumer behavior is mediated by activation in trust-related brain areas. 1 Corresponding author: Marc Linzmajer, Zeppelin University, E-Mail: marc.linzmajer@zeppelin-university.de.