The Halo Effect | First impressions color everything else

As a therapist, deeply understanding your patient or client goes far beyond simply listening to their words. It’s about entering into their lives, perceiving the nuances of their behavior and emotions, often influenced by unconscious processes that even they are unaware of. This is where cognitive biases come into play: unconscious filters through which everyone interprets reality, both patient-client and therapist.

The Halo Effect: Beyond First Impressions

The Halo effect is a natural phenomenon that manifests itself unnoticed. It’s an automatic mechanism in our brains, and part of the cognitive bias that helps us simplify the complexity of our environment.

The Halo Effect, also known as the Contamination Effect, occurs when a first impression – positive or negative – influences our perceptions of a person. It’s a selective interpretation and perception of information in line with our first impression.

How the Halo effect affects us in care

Imagine, for example, a therapist meeting a new patient for the first time: elegant, calm and self-assured. Without realizing it, the therapist may associate other qualities, such as intelligence or emotional stability, with this first impression, even though there’s no proof of this.

Yet, a few sessions later, the therapist is astonished to find this outwardly calm and intelligent person struggling with deep-seated insecurities and anxiety. The therapist realized that his initial judgment had limited his overall perception of this patient. The Halo effect had encouraged him to interpret his patient-client’s words according to this first impression, blocking a more nuanced understanding of reality.

Research

This effect was highlighted by psychologist Edward Thorndike in the 20th century, who showed that we tend to unconsciously associate positive qualities with a person we perceive favorably at first sight.

Thorndike (1920) conducted a study in which he asked military superiors to evaluate their subordinates on various characteristics (such as intelligence, physical appearance, leadership ability, etc.). He found that if a person was perceived positively on one characteristic, this positive impression also influenced the other evaluations, even if they were not directly related.

The benefits of the Halo effect

Seizing this opportunity can bring us certain benefits:

1. Building confidence :
   • If a person gives a positive first impression (for example, elegant, smiling, confident), he or she can benefit from an overall favorable perception. This can improve social or professional relationships.
   • Example: A well-presented therapist can be perceived as more competent, which makes it easier to build trust with clients.
2. Opportunity gains :
   • In certain contexts (such as a job interview), a good first impression can open doors.
   • Example: A charismatic, well-dressed person could be considered more qualified than he or she really is.

Limits and risks of the Halo effect

This bias is accompanied by risks of which we must be aware:

1. Biased judgment of individuals:
   • Based on a first impression, we can overlook both negative and important aspects of a person.
   • Example: If a person seems friendly, we may underestimate his or her shortcomings or ignore signs of lack of competence.

2. Lack of objectivity in evaluation :
   • By overestimating certain qualities, we run the risk of not correctly assessing performance or skills.
   • Example: A student perceived as studious because of his behavior may receive more favorable evaluations, even if his work is average.

3. Risk of error :
   • A positive first impression can mask warning signs.
   • Example: An elegant, eloquent person may be perceived as honest, but could be hiding a great deal of unhappiness that could go undetected.

Our advice from practitioner to practitioner

Whether in therapy or in everyday life, being aware of this bias can help us to perceive others with a more open mind, without anticipating what we would like them to be.

Faced with the cognitive biases of the Halo effect, it’s important to take steps to mitigate its impact and ensure fairer, more balanced interactions. Here are a few tips:

1. Use objective criteria: When evaluating, rely on concrete criteria and observations rather than subjective impressions or judgments.
2. Diversify your sources of feedback: Solicit the opinions and perspectives of your colleagues and team to counterbalance your own perceptions.
3. Apply active listening: By listening without judgment and rephrasing what the patient-customer has to say, you avoid projecting expectations or initial impressions.

To remember:

• Halo effect: When our first impression colors our entire perception
• This cognitive bias is a contamination effect: A characteristic judged to be positive about a person tends to make other characteristics of that person more positive, even without knowing about them “if this person is beautiful, he or she must be competent or intelligent.”
• We run the risk of missing out on certain dimensions of the person, by interpreting their behavior through this initial filter.

Source :

Thorndike, E. L. (1920). A constant error on psychological ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 4, 25-29.