Origin & History
This American psychologist first coined the term "halo effect" in a 1920 study titled A Constant Error in Psychological Ratings.
Who was Edward Thorndike?
In a job interview, a strong first impression can cause a hiring manager to assume an applicant is highly competent, an error commonly found during this business process.
What is performance appraisal (or interviewing/hiring)?
Companies frequently utilize this marketing strategy, paying famous people to tie their positive public image to a consumer product.
What is a celebrity endorsement?
This physical attribute is the most common trigger for the halo effect in everyday social interactions.
What is physical attractiveness (or beauty)?
The "horns effect" is the exact opposite of the halo effect, meaning it is based on traits that are entirely this.
What is negative?
Thorndike’s original 1920 experiment analyzed the ratings given by officers to subordinates in this specific organization.
What is the military (or the U.S. Army)?
If an employee is highly punctual and always dressed sharply, a manager influenced by the halo effect might overrate this unrelated professional skill.
What is their job performance (or technical capability/productivity)?
Because of Apple's massive success with this portable music device introduced in 2001, consumers began buying Mac computers at a higher rate.
What is the iPod?
In mock-juror psychological studies, attractive defendants are consistently given these lighter outcomes compared to less attractive defendants for the same crime.
What are shorter sentences (or lighter punishments/acquittals)?
If a customer has one terrible interaction with a single rude cashier, the horns effect will cause them to assume the entire company has this attribute.
What is terrible customer service (or a bad reputation)?
Broadly defined, the halo effect is a type of this kind of bias, where our brain creates shortcuts that lead to systematic errors in thinking.
What is a cognitive bias?
To fight the halo effect, human resource departments often use this "blind" technique when reviewing initial applications.
What is removing names/photos/identifying details from resumes?
When a company launches a highly successful "hero product," the positive reputation spills over to the rest of the items in this corporate grouping.
What is a product line (or brand portfolio)?
The overarching cultural stereotype driven by this bias can be summarized in this simple, four-word phrase: "What is beautiful is..."
What is "...good"?
The horns effect is closely tied to this psychological term for an oversimplified, fixed, and generalized belief about a particular group of people.
What is a stereotype?
In the 1970s, social psychologists Nisbett and Wilson proved that people are usually completely unaware of this aspect of their judgment when the halo effect occurs.
What is their lack of awareness (or that they don't realize they are doing it)?
This specific type of performance appraisal system gathers feedback from peers, subordinates, and supervisors to help dilute a single manager's halo effect bias.
What is a 360-degree review?
Luxury car brands use high-priced, top-tier models (like a Lexus LFA or Audi R8) known by this nautical term to cast a "halo" of prestige over their cheaper models.
What is a flagship product?
Research shows that teachers routinely mistake a student's physical neatness and attractiveness for this academic trait.
What is intelligence (or capability/studiousness)?
If a person speaks with a weak or hesitant voice during a presentation, the horns effect might cause listeners to incorrectly assume the speaker lacks this unrelated trait.
What is knowledge (or expertise/competence)?
The halo effect is a specific sub-type of this broader psychological phenomenon, where a person's global evaluation of a subject dictates their specific evaluations of individual traits.
What is the Affect Heuristic (or Evaluative Consistency)?
Studies show that when an executive is perceived as highly charismatic, the board of directors is more likely to overlook poor results in this critical corporate metric.
What is financial performance (or profitability)?
This specific economic term describes the unintended positive spillover effect that an investment in one product's marketing has on a completely different product under the same brand.
What is the brand spillover effect (or positive externality)?
Because of the beauty-based halo effect, attractive political candidates receive a significant boost in votes, especially among voters who identify as this level of political engagement.
What are low-information voters (or uninformed/politically disengaged voters)?
Also known as the "reverse halo effect," this alternative demonic name is sometimes used interchangeably with the horns effect.
What is the devil effect?