The halo effect: how one trait colours the overall impression

In short: In the halo effect, a single striking characteristic outshines our judgement of a person or thing. Someone who seems likeable or attractive, for example, is often also thought to be cleverer or more competent.

In more detail: The psychologist Edward Thorndike coined the term in 1920 when he noticed that officers rated their soldiers remarkably uniformly well or badly across very different areas. The word “halo” refers to a saint’s halo. The negative version is sometimes called the horn effect.

In detail

• How it arises: Our brain quickly forms an overall impression and fills in missing information to match it.
• Attractiveness: In studies, good-looking people are frequently credited with further positive qualities without any evidence for them.
• First impressions: A friendly or awkward start to a conversation can shape the whole assessment (koerpersprache-verstehen).
• School and marking: Teachers are not immune either; handwriting, previous grades or manner can unconsciously influence marks.
• Job applications: A well-known employer on a CV or a confident manner can mask other weaknesses.
• Advertising and brands: A popular celebrity or a strong brand image makes products seem better.
• The horn effect: Conversely, one negative trait, such as a mistake at the start, can devalue everything else.
• Remedies: Set clear criteria in advance, assess characteristics one at a time and, where possible, mark work anonymously (kognitive-verzerrungen, fundamentaler-attributionsfehler).