Surveys and self-reports are a time-honoured way of trying to predict consumer behaviour, but they have limitations. People often give socially desirable answers or they simply don't know or remember things clearly. A new study by Alexander Genevsky of RSM as well as Carolyn Yoon of University of Michigan and Brian Knutson of Stanford University suggests neural activity can not only be a better predictor of individual choices, but also can help forecast aggregate outcomes in the marketplace.