The halo effect (halo effect) is a cognitive distortion in which an assessment of a person, product or situation is formed with knowledge of one characteristic or lack of information. Because of this effect, a superficial and hasty judgment occurs. Thus, for example, an outwardly beautiful person is assigned characteristics based on his appearance, the first words he spoke. He may be considered smart, although he has not yet had time to show off his knowledge, dutiful, but in fact it will turn out that he is irresponsible, or he will be considered friendly for his smile, which will be far from the truth. The halo effect is about the first impression. No matter how much they say “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” the majority judge and will judge by it. Not out of malice, but because of the scarcity and availability of information, previous experience, personal beliefs, inattention, and simplification of the cognitive load. If you put 10 people unknown to him in front of your boss and ask him to evaluate their characteristics based on their appearance, then, obviously, those who are more beautiful, in well-groomed clothes, and who exude confidence will receive more good marks. Knowledge of the existence of the halo effect is actively used in marketing. Who will be in the hair shampoo commercial? Girls and men who meet beauty standards. The advertisement will be full of attractive special effects and shining hair. Even if we don’t talk about such expensive advertising: we open the marketplace, look for an acne gel and see a picture with a comparison of what the skin was like before using the gel (with acne, imperfections) and what it looked like after (ideal, with a beautiful texture). Not everyone thinks about the fact that neither the light, nor the color, nor the position of the model in the photo has changed, that the skin cannot become so perfect from just gel, that this is a banal processing in Photoshop or another editor. In addition to pictures on marketplaces, we pay attention to the product rating - 4 stars, 5 stars, number of purchases. “High rating and many purchases? A good product!". In fact, even if we don’t talk about possible cheating of reviews, most of them will be “Product received, delivery is fast, thanks to the seller.” Among the reviews of the same type, there will be a few about the experience of using the product, and those will be difficult to find. That is, the high rating is not for the product, but for fast delivery and undamaged packaging, in turn, the product may be so-so. The halo effect affects self-esteem: people strive to be thin and beautiful, because the chances of getting a vacant position or finding a match increase. And, unfortunately, in the pursuit of beauty, many girls ignore health, both physical and psychological. “Being thin” and “being healthy” are not the same thing. The influence of this cognitive distortion can be reduced by striving for the correct assessment, a comprehensive analysis of the actions that a person has demonstrated, studying the characteristics of the product, searching for reviews and reviews about the pros and cons of the product ( and not “Fast delivery”), viewing photos from buyers who tested the product. And, of course, all this will take more time than a superficial assessment. Sign up for an individual consultation: +7 (903) 373-36-00, WhatsApp, Telegram.