What is the halo effect in psychology?

The halo effect in psychology refers to the cognitive bias whereby an observer's overall impression of a person influences their feelings and thoughts about that person's character. Thus, if someone has a positive first impression—perhaps due to their appearance, charisma, or perceived competence—they are more likely to be rated favorably in unrelated aspects of their personality or abilities. This cognitive bias demonstrates how initial evaluations can overshadow specific attributes, leading someone to believe that the individual possesses other positive traits simply based on those first impressions.

This phenomenon underscores the importance of recognition in various social contexts, such as workplace assessments or interpersonal relationships, where someone may perceive traits like intelligence, kindness, or reliability based on initial encounters rather than holistic evaluations of behavior or performance.