This effect will explain why you have certain prejudices about people you’ve just met. 

What is the Halo effect? 

This effect is a phenomenal when one experience with a person influences what you think about them in another situation. 

Let’s say you meet someone who is attractive or smart this will make you to believe that the person possess other equally good traits in other aspects of their life, like they are charming and kind hearted even when we have no proof to assert this claim. 

This also works in the opposite direction. If we meet someone who looks unkempt we are led to think they possess other bad traits like laziness,poor hygiene, idoticy and so on. 

It’s the preconceived notion that what is beautiful is good and what is ugly is bad. 

How does the Halo Effect play out? 

Think back to your first Interactions with someone and the mental notes you already formed about them before even knowing them. 

This effect plays out even in the littlest of things. We tend to believe that a politician who is charismatic is also good natured and kind hearted. 

A person who has a nice smile or is pleasant will also be compassionate. 

A businessman who is great at public speaking will be Patient with his workers and work well under pressure. 

However this is hardly ever the case. We believe that those who acquire a fortune must have been very hardworking and gotten there through moral ways. 

But oftentimes this isn’t true. 

How to use the Halo Effect to your advantage? 

Understand the value of first impression. A lot of people out there still don’t know how extremely deceptive first impressions are. 

So use that to your advantage. 

Always put your best foot forward. Do everything you can to make that first impression a BANG! 

What you should learn from the Halo Effect? 

Understand that it exists and plays out in a lot of the things you do. 

Hence don’t fall for first impressions. 

And do not believe that because an individual has one good trait then they also have others and because they have one negative trait then they have others as well. 

Learn to get to know people before discerning their character. 

We all have memories of friendships and relationships gone wrong with ‘nice’ friends that you had. 

What had happened to them? 

Why did they change so suddenly? 

The truth is they didn’t change. You were just too quick to assume the best of them without any proof of it. 

So beware of the Halo effect and start taking notes of how they play out daily in your life. 

I hope you found this post informative and entertaining. 

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