What is the halo effect and what are the examples of the halo effect?
The halo effect is a form of intellectual bias in performance appraisals. It occurs when our overall impression of a person, brand or product is based on a single positive characteristic.
The halo effect can impede our ability to think critically to make certain decisions. It can be problematic when making decisions during a job interview.
For example, supervisors will most likely evaluate the overall performance of a particular employee based on a single positive characteristic. An employee showing enthusiasm may influence the supervisor’s judgment not to see the area where the employee lacks certain knowledge.
We will be discussing more on the halo effect and examples in this article.
What Is the Halo Effect?
The halo effect is a form of intellectual bias that causes us to make judgments based on a single prominent characteristic of a product, person, or brand. The halo effect makes us consider just one positive aspect of a person and we make a general opinion of that.
Although making quick judgments can help us make decisions faster, it also put us at risk of poor decision-making.
The halo effect can impede our ability to think critically to make certain decisions. It can be problematic when making decisions during a job interview.
Supervisors for example often evaluate the overall performance of an employee based on a single positive characteristic. The employee showing enthusiasm may influence the supervisor’s judgement not to see areas where the employee lacks competence.
The supervisor may give an employee a higher rating based on what he has seen so far. In reality, one positive characteristic may represent other aspects of the employee’s performance on the job.
Another halo effect example occurs when we think because a person is attractive, he or she can is automatically intelligent.
Because someone is attractive, we should not assign them to other qualities like being intelligent, honest, or kind.
Generally, a positive first impression can be deceptive. For example, you find out that your colleague at work is a graduate of a prestigious university. You might assume he or she is more intelligent and skilled than they actually are.
The halo effects cloud our judgement to see incompetence because we have seen a positive first impression.
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Halo Effect Examples
We will be looking at some of the halo effect examples.
Educational Background
We talked about how we may assume that our co-workers may be more intelligent and skilled than they actually are.
It’s common for a lot of people to assume that someone would be an excellent employee because they graduated from a prestigious college. However, graduating from a prestigious institution is not a guarantee an employee will perform excellently at their job.
We acknowledge that graduating from the finest universities is an excellent accomplishment. Getting into prestigious institutions requires an outstanding academic qualification.
We see graduates from prestigious universities as excellent candidates for job positions. In the office, the performance of these graduates will be seen as better than it actually is.
Their academic accomplishment overshadows whatever areas they lack competence and knowledge. Supervisors may give them a higher rating than they actually deserve.
Young Love
Going out on the first date is always fun and nothing less. When two adults start a relationship, they are always on their best behaviour. A positive first impression can be misleading.
According to the halo effect, first impressions at the beginning of a relationship can cloud our judgement about a person’s behaviour afterwards.
If we were to go by observed facts, we may discover the unpleasant actions of the person were are in a relationship with. But because we have already developed a favourable view of them during the first few months of this love affair, we may not notice some Red Flags.
This halo effect with time can fade away, leading us to make find their actions intolerable. Once we realize our partner’s downsides, our relationship is over.
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The Teacher’s Pet
The teacher’s pet is a student in the classroom who is loved and favoured by the teacher. This is because the student is friendly with the teacher and it can lead the teacher to have an overall positive impression about the student.
The student will be the first to receive whatever special privilege that will be given to students because he is the teacher’s pet.
To other students, the teacher’s pet can do anything wrong in the classroom. The teacher will likely overlook any mistake from this student but can easily identify that of other students.
Although it may seem that the teacher is intentionally favouring the student, he is probably unaware of his favouritism.
Reputation of a Brand
We have loved and trusted a brand so much that if they were to introduce a new product line, we will assume that the new product is great.
A brand’s reputation helps retains its customers and it also helps with the sale of new products. Based on the trust these consumers have in a particular brand, they can conclude any product from that brand is reliable and of high quality.
Many companies around the world understand the halo effect very well. They will spend millions and use every resource in their possession to maintain their reputation in the market.
Bright and Cherry Employee
Interacting with people is something we love doing, especially if they make us feel excited when we are around them.
Staying around people that make us feel excited will make us have positive feelings towards them. This can affect us when making important decisions that involve those we feel excited interacting with.
For example, if a supervisor has a pile of employee performance appraisal forms on his desk, his feeling towards an employee he feels comfortable interacting with can have an impact on the evaluations.
Although the employee’s performance at the office may not be as good as others, still the employee is likely to receive a higher rating than he actually deserves.
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First Impressions
The old popular saying “First impressions last forever” is supported by several modern-day research.
What we think of an individual on the first encounter can last for a long time. If we had a negative initial impression with someone, it will be difficult to see them differently no matter their positive actions afterwards.
If we had a positive initial impression with someone, we will interpret their behaviour accordingly.
Parental Attitudes towards their Children
It’s quite understandable for parents to boast about their children. They often see the positive traits of their child and boast about their child being smart and amazing.
They see their kid using crayons to scribble all over the wall, to them, their child will become a great painter in the future. A toddler jumping up and down on the couch or bed will become an Olympic gymnast.
Celebrity Status
Big brands use celebrities to promote their products because of the celebrity’s influence and popularity.
Celebrities are cautious about how they portray a certain image to the public. They want to maintain their reputation and also want their fans to have a specific impression of them.
These large corporations will hire a celebrity to endorse and promote their products. Bringing in a celebrity who is honest and trustworthy will boost sales for the company’s new product.
This is one of the examples of the halo effect, a kind of “halo transfer” that has the tendency to pay huge dividends.
Anchoring Bias
This is a bias that affects our subsequent impressions based on our first impressions.
An example of anchoring bias occurs once we see an expensive item close to another slightly less expensive item. The slightly less expensive product is still sold at a high cost but we decide to purchase it because it’s next to a more expensive one.
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The Charming Salesperson
Salespeople with exceptional interpersonal skills easily secure partnerships and deals.
The charming salesperson can attract clients, and customers, and can elicit trust and positive emotions from them. They can convince clients and customers to agree to business deals.
According to the halo effect, the salesperson’s charm can make clients and customers to overlook potential discrepancies in the product provided.
Conclusion
The halo effect is a form of intellectual bias that causes us to make judgments based on a single prominent characteristic of a product, person, or brand. The halo effect makes us consider just one positive aspect of a person and we make a general opinion of that.
The halo effect can impede our ability to think critically to make certain decisions. It can be problematic when making decisions during a job interview.
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References
- Scribbr: What Is the Halo Effect? | Definition & Examples
- HelpfulProfessor: 15 Halo Effect Examples
- Indeed: The Halo Effect: Definition and Examples in the Workplace
- Study: What is the Halo Effect?
- VeryWellMind: What Is the Halo Effect?
- NE Beckwith, HH Kassarjian. ACR North American …, 1978: Halo effects in marketing research: Review and prognosis
- L Leuthesser, CS Kohli, KR Harich – European journal of marketing, 1995 –Brand equity: the halo effect measure
- Britannica: halo effect
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