The influence of negative emotions on brand trust and intention to share cause-related posts: A neuroscientific study

Negative user-generated content provides cues that warn other consumers to avoid using a particular product or service. This study explores whether brand feedback can counteract consumer backlash to a given company’s cause-related marketing, with a particular focus on how visual attention can moderate negative emotions. Hypotheses based on the Appraisal-Tendency Framework and commitment-trust theory were tested using neurophysiological tools (eye tracking and facial coding) and self-reported measures. The findings suggest that emotions with similar valence and arousal levels cause differing trust perceptions and consumer behavioral responses (sharing intentions), based on the presence or ab…