The Halo Effect

The halo effect is caused by biased patterns of thinking, where initial judgements of an individual or entity subconsciously influence our feelings towards them and attributions of their character, even if it may not be true (Cherney, 2019). This effect was investigated by American psychologist Edward Thorndike in 1920, who found that military superiors rated soldiers’ character (e.g., leadership) by unrelated traits like physical impressions (Thorndike, 1920). The halo reference is attributed to traditional religious influences, where saints and divine characters are often depicted with a halo over their heads (Perera, 2021). Likewise, casting a halo over someone similarly fixes your overall perception of them in a certain direction - often favourably.

The human brain adopts a dual-system model for thinking. According to Kahneman and Egan (2011), system 1 thinking is fast, automatic, often requiring minimal attention and effort. Contrarily, system 2 thinking is slow, reflective, analytical thought that uses more resources and effort (Kahneman & Egan, 2011). The halo effect is associated with system 1, where the brain represents a person based on a single trait, with the failure to consider other possibilities.

The halo effect has implications in daily life as well. Firstly, in education settings, educators have tendencies to perceive students with positive first impressions as more academically outstanding. A study by Hernandex-Julian and Peters (2017) revealed that students perceived as more attractive were subjected to higher academic scores, relative to instances such as when students’ images were removed. Secondly, the halo effect is witnessed in marketing fields. Companies often employ strategies like hiring attractive and well-known celebrities to endorse their product, which allows the brand to leverage the former’s positive image and boost sales (Cherney, 2019; Investopedia, 2021). When users form positive experiences with a certain product, it can create favouritism towards other products made by the same brand - hence demonstrating the halo effect (Investopedia, 2021).

In conclusion, the halo effect is a double-edged sword. It saves significant amounts of cognitive resources and prevents overwhelm. Concurrently, it creates biased judgements of people and products. Thus, it is something to take note of when making evaluations.

REFERENCES:

1. Cherney, K. (2019, April 1). What Is the Halo Effect? Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/halo-effect#history

2. Hernández-Julián, R., & Peters, C. (2017). Student Appearance and Academic Performance. Journal of Human Capital, 11(2), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.1086/691698

3. Investopedia. (2021, April 12). Halo Effect. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/halo-effect.asp

4. Kahneman, D., & Egan, P. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow.

5. Perera, A. (2021, March 22). Halo Effect: Definition and Examples | Simply Psychology. SimplyPsychology. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/halo-effect.html

6. Thorndike, E. (1920). A constant error in psychological ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 4(1), 25–29. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0071663