Halo Effects are yet another persuasive reality you are most likely unaware of.
Or, if you are like most – you think it does not impact you – when it actually influences everyone it touches.
It’s simple:
- You are more likely to buy a car from a beautiful saleswoman – than an unattractive one.
- You are more likely to listen to what a famous actor thinks about politics – than your average Joe.
- And you are less likely to think a professor of statistics is ignorant about religion – even though they may have no formal training on that topic.
I fell for this once badly, only realizing what happened afterward. A beautiful woman asked for a donation. And like an easy mark, I couldn’t get my wallet open fast enough.
It is not by chance that beautiful women are in commercials and that defense attorneys dress their murderous criminals in suits.
Understand: Perception matters.
The response itself falls into a category that social scientists call “halo effects.” A halo effect occurs when one positive characteristic of a person dominates the way that person is viewed by others. And the evidence is now clear that physical attractiveness is often such a characteristic.
-Robert Cialdini, Influence
