Beauty and Skill: A Proven Ability – Science Confirms This.
Imagine you’re at work and your boss asks for your opinion on whether your colleague is a good team leader for an upcoming project. You don’t know much about this colleague, but you perceive him as attractive and perhaps competent. So, you say “yes.”
This is because your positive perception of your colleague’s appearance influences how you think about him in other positive ways, including leadership ability and intelligence. You form these opinions subconsciously, even though you don’t actually know if he is a good team leader.
Whenever we meet someone, we subconsciously assess their personality traits. Despite our attempts to be aware of this, we often fail to remain objective and unbiased. The reason behind this is the “Halo Effect.”
Understanding the Halo Effect
Once we form a judgment or opinion about someone, we tend to overlook everything else, even if it still exists. If we evaluate someone as good based on their behavior, attire, or speech, we may ignore any signs indicating that something negative is happening. We also find ways to rationalize why the signs we perceive as untrue and remain steadfast in our opinion of that person.
“My first impression of my ex-boyfriend was that he was educated and kind because he wore a neat white shirt and looked very intellectual. He gently asked if I needed help with carrying tables and chairs, and I always thought he was extremely nice,” Grace shared.
Even when those around her said that Grace’s relationship with her ex was toxic and that he wasn’t as good as she thought, she continued to trust her instincts simply because of… her first impression of him.
The Halo Effect is a cognitive bias in which our opinions about a person influence how we perceive and think about their character before we truly understand them. For example, if we meet a tall, charming, and handsome man, we might assume he is like a prince charming, a hero, and a good man.
This is why we sometimes fail to recognize when someone is taking advantage of or deceiving us. We justify someone’s bad behavior and wrongdoings because, in our minds, they are a good person.
Like the way Grace always justified actions such as psychological manipulation, a personality that wasn’t as gentle as imagined, or her boyfriend’s mistakes as mere moments of impulsiveness. “I think everyone gets angry sometimes; he just wanted what was best for me. Until one day, too many people around me said it wasn’t right, and I needed to reconsider.”
This effect leads us to always attach a “halo” to others, similar to thinking someone is wealthy because they often wear designer clothes and spend a lot of money, but it could just be a façade to deceive someone. They might be using old or fake designer items, spending on credit cards, and carrying a massive debt behind their glamorous appearance.
On the other hand, the Halo Effect can also lead us to misunderstand good people simply because they don’t make a good first impression. The Halo Effect causes us to see life in black and white and forget that gray also exists. We form a judgment and refuse to believe that a person may have changed or that we may have made a mistaken judgment.
“I have a habit of looking at someone’s shoes to see if they are careful. I assume that people wearing ‘sloppy’ shoes will never work in detail and thoroughly. That makes me not want to work with them even though I’ve never really tried,” shared a girl who wished to remain anonymous.
You deny them another chance to get to know them better, despite the truth that no one can accurately judge a person at first sight. Ultimately, you become so rigid in your personal opinion that you refuse to change your mind even when presented with evidence to the contrary. This diminishes your judgment ability and sometimes leads you to mistakenly trust the wrong people in life.
Does Bias Always Exist in Life?
Research has found that the Halo Effect can play a role in educational settings. Teachers may interact with students differently based on perceptions of “attractiveness.” In an older study, teachers had higher expectations of students they deemed more attractive.
Another study examined the academic records of over 4,500 students. A group of 28 individuals then rated the attractiveness of students (based on student ID photos) on a scale from 1 (very unattractive) to 10 (very attractive). Students were then divided into three groups based on attractiveness ratings: below average, average, and above average.
Researchers then compared students’ scores across classes conducted in both in-person and online formats. They found that students rated as “above average” in appearance scored significantly lower in their online courses compared to their traditional classes.
There are several ways the Halo Effect can influence perceptions of others in the workplace. “Supervisors may evaluate subordinates based on perceptions of a single trait rather than their overall performance and contributions. For example, an employee’s enthusiasm or positive attitude may overshadow their lack of knowledge or skills, leading colleagues to rate them higher than their actual performance,” an expert shared.
However, sometimes leaders may always view a bright and cheerful employee, who has a positive attitude and enthusiastically tackles projects, as an ideal employee due to her extroverted personality. Managers may find it difficult to criticize or harshly evaluate this type of employee because the Halo Effect positions that individual as someone striving, always with the best intentions, and as a cheerleader for the organization.
Upon closer examination, that employee may always eagerly accept projects, but very rarely completes them on time. A positive attitude is certainly a trait of an excellent employee. However, it can be a dangerous situation if the employee lacks the necessary skills or abilities to perform the core functions and responsibilities of the job.
Furthermore, the Halo Effect in the workplace can also occur if a manager intentionally or unintentionally favors an employee with similar passions, interests, or career goals. For example, a manager might think that because an employee shares a passion for sports, they are automatically responsible because the manager views that as a characteristic of capable individuals. This can lead to overly familiar relationships in the workplace, with the manager showing favoritism toward the employee because they see something of themselves in that individual.
