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People often make snap judgments about others based on their first impressions, even though it is widely acknowledged that this is not a reliable way to assess someone.
The halo effect is a cognitive bias that causes our opinions to be influenced by factors such as facial features, height, clothing, manner of speech, or accent, resulting in a superficial and potentially inaccurate perception. This psychological phenomenon will be discussed in this article of the psychology guide.
What is halo effect?
The halo effect is a thinking error where the first impression of one feature or characteristic shapes our opinion of the person, product, or brand. This prevents us from forming a fair judgment. As a result, we may fall prey to the trap of a charming fraudster or purchase an unsuccessful model from a well-known brand.
This phenomenon was described by American physiologist Edward Thorndike over a hundred years ago. In 1920, he observed that in experiments where managers had to evaluate the intelligence and leadership qualities of their subordinates, they often relied on appearance. As a result, more attractive people received higher ratings for their professional and personal qualities and were more likely to be promoted in the future.
This observation was later repeatedly confirmed by other experiments. In one of them, participants were asked to rate women based on photos and descriptions of their lives and hobbies. In the first case, the photos were normal, while in the second, the women wore costumes that created an illusion of excess body weight. Profiles with “thin” photos received higher ratings not only for appearance, but also for personal qualities.
In addition, the halo effect can affect court sentences. According to a study by scientists from the University of Maryland, defendants with more attractive appearance received less severe punishment. However, only if their crime was not related to the use of this appearance. If they abused someone’s trust with it, they were given a stricter verdict.
Polish researcher Solomon Ash showed that not only appearance, but also any first impression can influence one’s opinion. He suggested evaluating a person based on two lists of characteristics. They had the same items, arranged in a different order: “smart–hardworking–impulsive–critical–stubborn–envious” and “envious–stubborn–critical–impulsive–hardworking–smart.” As a result, participants gave higher ratings to the person whose qualities started with “smart,” while the second option, with “envious” as the first word, received a low score.
Anybody can make such a thinking error. One day, future Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman noticed it in himself. Being a young professor, he evaluated two written works of students, reading them all at once. If the first essay seemed good to him, he also gave a high score to the second one. At the same time, if he came across an unsuccessful work at first, he started evaluating the next one more strictly. “I told the students that I evaluate two works equally, but in reality the first one had a greater impact on the final grade,” he wrote in his book “Thinking, Fast and Slow.”
Marketers actively use the halo effect to sell more products. For example, by creating a recognizable luxury clothing brand, companies often launch perfumes to broaden their audience by targeting those who cannot afford expensive clothing but are willing to spend money on fragrances. Racing car manufacturers begin selling jackets for motorcyclists, which are associated with quality and high speeds. Companies invite celebrities to star in their advertisements to make their products more recognizable, and terminate contracts when stars become involved in scandals to avoid damaging the brand’s reputation.
The halo effect is manifested in thoughts and phrases like:
- “She has such a kind face.”
- “He is fat, therefore he is lazy.”
- “So smart, wears glasses.”
- “Japanese means high quality.”
- “He graduated from Oxford – he’ll be successful.”
- “I don’t buy things in mass-market, they are all disposable.”
- “He came in jeans and sneakers – it is immediately obvious, he is not a serious person.”
- “Can a girl with lilac hair say anything smart?”
- “I saw this thing on a popular blogger’s page – probably good, should take it.”
What Causes the Halo Effect to Occur?
Because of the desire to prove one’s rightness. Realizing one’s insightfulness helps to maintain self-esteem. By acknowledging a mistake, one can be disappointed both in the object of judgment and in one’s own ability to understand people. This is related to another error of the mind – the need to confirm one’s opinion. For example, if a person seemed smart to us, we will continue to search for evidence of their intelligence, and if we deemed him simple and gullible, then we will evaluate his other actions from this perspective.
Due to the inability to provide an independent evaluation. Separating personal sympathies from facts can be difficult. For example, it may be difficult for us to assess the competence of a colleague regardless of how we feel about them, how they look, what they say about politics, or whether they leave a dirty mug on their desk.
Due to the unwillingness to overload oneself with information. Assessing a person or thing based on first impressions allows us to make decisions more quickly. Daniel Kahneman described two systems of thinking. The first system quickly evaluates everything around us based on past experience. Such judgments can be erroneous, but they require much less energy than the careful consideration of information characteristic of the second system. In many situations, people are willing to sacrifice the accuracy of their conclusions in exchange for the opportunity not to strain themselves.
Because of the hurry. We don’t always have time to consider each step. That’s why we prefer to quickly choose something based on one characteristic. This is particularly evident when shopping, when due to lack of time we can pick up the wrong item in a similar package. Marketers take this behavior into account and use colors in their design to evoke certain associations. For example, black is often added to highlight premium quality and green for eco-friendliness.
What are the risks associated with the halo effect?
The halo effect helps us make quicker decisions when it comes to simple things – instead of standing for hours in front of a chocolate or laundry detergent display, we can choose a nice packaging or a familiar brand. However, when it comes to making important decisions, the cost of a mistake due to superficial judgment increases.
A recruitment specialist can hire an incompetent but externally attractive person. At the same time, a less attractive but suitable candidate risks being rejected. By buying an apartment, succumbing to the charm of successful photos, one can fail to notice serious problems with documents.
Doctors can make an even more serious mistake. According to research, they are inclined to take complaints of heart problems less seriously in women. Their discomfort is often attributed to psychosomatics, which increases the risk of making an incorrect diagnosis or missing an important symptom. At the same time, it is possible to overcome the influence of the halo effect. It is enough to reflect on the problem a little deeper and get rid of stereotypes. Several exercises can help with this.
How to address the halo effect?
To eliminate the halo effect, techniques for overcoming bias are used. Here are some of them:
1. Recognize bias. In some cases, even the simple understanding of the presence of a mental error can help to get rid of it or reduce its influence. By realizing that first impressions can be deceptive, you can give yourself the opportunity to analyze the situation more deeply, get to know the person better before drawing conclusions.
2. Improve the quality of information. It is worth getting used to making conclusions based on different sources of information. In addition to advertising, it is worth looking at product reviews, reading reviews, and asking for advice from acquaintances. This way, based on various data, a more balanced decision can be made about the purchase.
3. Standardize the decision-making process. To consider different factors in the decision-making process, you can make a list of them and create an action algorithm for yourself. Try to slow down your reasoning – this activates the second system of thinking. For example, before making an important decision, you can take a pause and return to your thoughts the next day.
4. Create comfortable conditions. People often make hasty and incorrect conclusions when they are in an unfavorable situation. For example, they are hungry, slept poorly, or there is a lot of noise around them. Therefore, it is not worth making important decisions in an uncomfortable situation – if there is such an opportunity, conditions should be improved first.
5. Consider alternatives. People often do not like to think about what would have happened if they acted differently. But it is useful to do so to avoid mistakes in the future. By impartially looking at your decisions and identifying the halo effect, you can reduce your tendency to make hasty conclusions.
6. Distance yourself from your opinion. It is worth creating a psychological distance between your point of view and the final decision that you make based on objective facts. To do this, you can try to look at the situation through the eyes of another person. For example, ask yourself what advice you would give to your friend in this situation. It is also useful to ask yourself questions as if you were someone else: what worries you, why do you feel this way about this person, what attracts you to this particular option? This way you can see the situation from a different perspective.
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