Why We Can't Think Straight: Cognitive Biases--Critical Thinking's Curve Balls, Part 1--the Halo Effect

Mark Twain once observed, “We do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking.”  How often do we feel we have made the right decision only to discover we goofed? We ask ourselves where we went wrong, what didn’t we see this, why didn’t we do that? There are some good reasons why we make bad decisions. Hardwired into our brains are faulty ways of thinking called cognitive biases that cause us to misunderstand the past, misconstrue the future and badly foresee the future. 

In the September 2018 issue of the Atlantic Monthly, writer Ben Yagoda reveals in "Your Lying Mind,” that the number of cognitive biases is big—Wikipedia lists 185 cognitive biases, from the IKEA effect defined as the “tendency for people to place a disproportionately higher value on objects that partially assemble themselves” to the Zeigarnik effect, “uncompleted or interrupted tasks are remembered better than completed ones.”  The gambler’s fallacy cons us into believing that if a coin has landed heads up five times in a row, it is more likely to land tail’s up the sixth time. In fact, statistics tell us that sixth toss is still a 50-50 proposition. There are many, many more, but over the next several installments of this series, let’s zero in on six biases that we are likely to encounter in our work environments:

1.     Halo effect

2.     Framing effect

3.     Availability bias

4.     Hindsight bias

5.     Planning fallacy

6.     Sunk cost fallacy

Part 1 of this cognitive biases series begins with the halo effect.

1. HALO EFFECT: Seeing is Believing?

The Halo effect is a cognitive bias in which our impression of a person in one area influences opinion in another area. This can result in unfounded judgments about a person’s character or ability to perform certain tasks. Also known as the physical attractiveness stereotype and the "what is beautiful is good" principle, the halo effect, at its most basic level, refers to the habitual tendency of people to rate attractive individuals more favorably for their personality traits or characteristics than those who are less attractive. Halo effect is also used in a more general sense to describe the impact of likable personality or some specific desirable trait, in creating biased judgments of the target person on any dimension. Thus, feelings generally overcome cognitions when we appraise others. The Halo Effect isn’t only limited to people- it can also be applied to “necessary” objects. This is why so many brands hope to find a celebrity to advertise and wear or use their products. Have you ever wondered why George Clooney is selling a coffee maker, or why Eva Longoria is pushing cosmetics? Choosing an attractive, charismatic, and kind person is a safe bet for marketing companies who know that many people will go buy George's coffee maker or Eva's creams.

In a work environment, the halo effect is most likely to show up in a supervisor's appraisal of a subordinate's job performance and is probably the most common bias in performance appraisal. Think about what happens when a supervisor evaluates the performance of a subordinate. The supervisor may rate one single characteristic of the employee, such as enthusiasm, and allow the entire evaluation to be colored by how he or she judges the employee on that one characteristic. Even though the employee may lack the requisite knowledge or ability to perform the job successfully, if the employee's work shows enthusiasm, the supervisor may very well give him or her a higher performance rating than is justified by knowledge or ability. 

Knocking off the Halo: The Devil Made Me Do It?

So here are some tips on how to identify and control the halo effect:

1. Be conscious of your judgment

The first step to putting a stop to the halo effect is to be conscious of when you’re wrongfully judging someone, but the problem with the halo effect is that we’re rarely aware that it’s happening. If you can learn how to make an educated judgment of a person or object without letting your own brain manipulate you, you’ll be able to make more accurate judgment.

2. Give your first impressions a second chance

It’s almost impossible to keep yourself from making a first impression of a someone you’ve just met, but try to beware of that first impression. Try to back up your feelings toward someone with a real data. If you have a hard time finding a reason why you like or dislike someone, give them a second chance.

3. You’re also prejudged

Take some time to reflect on the image that you project, because it’s easier to see the fault in others before you see your own faults. Ask someone you know well what their first impression of you was, and reflect on their response.

4. Take care of yourself

Leaving weight, looks, height, etc. aside, you can develop your own positive halo effect by having healthy personal hygiene. Unkempt hair and body odor are certainly not going to help you make a good first impression.

5. Smiling boots the halo effect

A smile projects kindness, empathy, and sympathy. Studies have shown that when you smile, you produce a cause-effect phenomenon: The other person smiles too. You’re likely to like someone who smiles if it’s a real, honest smile. Try to stay away from a Joker-type smile that’s completely forced because it will do you more harm than good and you’ll come off as fake and unlikable.

6. Be coherent

Coherence, or being loyal to your morals, code of ethics, likes, and hobbies, is essential for boosting the halo effect. You’re coherent when you say what you think and you do what you say you’ll do. If you project an incoherent image, your halo effect will be noticeably reduced, because the other person will see a cheater or liar.

7. Be aware of your non-verbal language

Most of what the other person perceives comes from non-verbal language. The way you move, your tone of voice, looking the person in the eyes or shying away, nodding, and other small body language cues give off much more than you might think.

8. Ask yourself questions

Question yourself. Every time you pass a judgment about a person or object, ask yourself honestly if the answer would be different if its image were different.

9. Avoid generalizations

Don’t let yourself get carried away by other people’s opinions. Ty to only think about the recommendations that come from people who really know what they’re talking about. If they have some kind of authority over a given subject, take their advice into consideration when making a decision. If they don’t know what they’re talking about, don’t take their word as fact.

10. Learn how to use your intuition well

After reading this discussion of the halo effect, don’t doubt yourself and your intuitions, because they might be right! Can you imagine the amount of friends you’ve missed out on, of the places you’ve never seen, or the things you haven’t tried, just because of a first impression?

Closing and Summary: Beautiful People, Ugly Assumptions

            Oscar Wilde might have written the punchline for the halo effect when he joked, “It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But it is better to be good than to be ugly.” So, the next time you trying to evaluate another person, whether it is deciding which employee to promote, which political candidate to vote for, or which movie to see next weekend, consider how your overall impressions of an individual might influence or override your evaluation of other characteristics. Does your fondness for an employee’s enthusiasm lead you to ignore competence and ability? Does your impression of a candidate being a good public speaker lead you to feel that she is also smart, kind, and hard-working? Does thinking that a particular actor is good-looking also lead you to think that he is a compelling actor? 

            In the next installment of this series, we’ll address another cognitive bias, the framing effect. Until then, remember Groucho Marx’s warning about attractive fakers, “The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you got it made.”