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The influence of this psychological phenomenon is very great. We all know how to «hang labels». Teachers give students a «diagnosis» of the eternal bully or the best in the class. We once and for all reward a colleague with the stigma of a successful employee or a failure. Why do we judge by the first and usually superficial impression? Is it possible to “break through” once formed opinions about us and about others?
If the first impression of a person is positive, including due to circumstances, then subsequently the plus sign extends to all his features and actions. He is forgiven a lot. If, on the contrary, the first impression is blurred, then, no matter how well a person does in the future, he is evaluated through the prism of the initial assessment.
For Russians, this effect can be explained with the help of the proverb “they meet according to their clothes, see them off according to their mind”. The only difference is that due to the influence of the halo effect, they usually “see off” everyone in the same clothes. And in order for the mind to be seen behind it, the carrier of the halo needs to make a lot of effort.
Often prejudice is never overcome. This is especially noticeable in children’s and adolescent groups. For example, if a newcomer to a class doesn’t get on well and is immediately labeled as unflattering by classmates, often the only solution is to change classes, where you can start fresh and try again to make a first impression.
What is this phenomenon?
In the 1920s, the American psychologist Edward Thorndike discovered that when we evaluate others, we are guided by the perception of certain personality traits — such as appearance, cheerfulness, talkativeness — and they overshadow everything else. The psychologist called this phenomenon the halo effect or the halo effect.
The halo effect describes an unconscious perception error: individual qualities of a person — attractiveness, external inferiority, exceptional achievements — dominate other qualities unknown to us, which we ourselves think out, finish drawing in our heads. The first impression overshadows everything else, creating a halo. In social psychology, the effect is referred to as cognitive distortions.
For example, imagine that you are introduced to a person with amazingly good manners — and in a few minutes you create in your head the image of a well-groomed, educated, eloquent, charming interlocutor.
In other words, a single distinguishing feature allows us to infer other unknown qualities.
An overweight person is often perceived as lazy, weak-willed, clumsy, or even stupid. Students with glasses are considered by many teachers to be more well-read and even smarter.
And, of course, Hollywood stars fall under the influence of the halo effect. Since many actors are associated with the characters they play, and we see them in reports and on TV as glamorous divas, we believe that they are like that in real life.
Well, the most famous case of the influence of the halo effect is Khlestakov from The Government Inspector. The whole society initially accepted him as an auditor, not noticing the obvious inconsistencies and mistakes in his behavior and words.
Why does our brain need this effect?
Without the halo effect, many sectors of the economy would simply collapse. “If I wear the same pants as this successful businesswoman, I will make the same impression!” A Chinese accessory instantly turns into a fashion accessory (and even its price soars to several hundred euros) if it is noticed and put on by a star or supermodel. This is roughly how it works.
But why would our brains purposefully lead us into a trap? Throughout our lives, we have to process huge amounts of information. We need to navigate with a minimum of information, and for this we need to somehow classify the surrounding objects and subjects, interact with them. The halo effect simplifies these processes.
If every time we deeply analyzed the entire incoming stream of visual and other stimuli, we would simply go crazy
So in a sense, the halo effect is our defense mechanism. But at the same time, we deprive ourselves of a more objective view, which means that we limit our capabilities. And the one on whom we «put on» a halo runs the risk of forever remaining in our eyes in the role we have invented for him.
How to overcome the halo effect?
Alas, “disabling” the halo is difficult, and often impossible. We may this time notice it in our own perception of another or in our own evaluation, but the next time we will imperceptibly fall under its influence. And although we all know the expression “don’t judge a book by its cover,” that’s exactly what we all often do.
If the person whom we awarded the halo is important and dear to us, the only antidote is to analyze our impression, decompose it into its components: highlight the leading, key feature for the halo and name the rest that are gone in our perception due to the halo effect on the second plan. Especially such a technique is necessary for managers, HR-specialists who make personnel decisions. For example, in Australia, resumes are not accompanied by photographs so that external data does not overshadow the competencies of the applicant.
Most of us are voters, so we should not buy into the halo effect of politicians who, especially before elections, try to appear exceptionally kind, open and responsible. And here we ourselves should collect information about the candidate, so as not to become a victim of self-deception.
And no one prevents us from collecting information about ourselves and our own halo — about how others perceive us.
We can honestly say that we know about the phenomenon of the halo effect, and invite the interlocutor or colleague to look a little deeper under our “nimbus” and give us a chance to show all our qualities. Directness and sincerity are often disarming. You can also think about how we would like to look in the eyes of others and what we can do for this, but in such a way as to remain ourselves.