Fallacies and Cognitive Biases: Halo Effect ~ by Ransom

This article is part of an ongoing series that began with Fallacies and Cognitive Biases.

The above picture is a detail from "50 Cognitive Biases to be aware of so you can be the very best version of you"

"If you see a person as having a positive trait, that positive impression will spill over into their other traits. (This also works for negative traits)."

This cognitive bias occurs when our response to one aspect of something or someone blinds us to other aspects.  If we really like someone we do not easily notice her bad behavior.  If a sporty car catches our interest we discount the maintainance costs and safety record.

This cognitive bias reduces the cost of decisions both before and after they are made.

In an open-ended world research can be interminable and the Halo Effect helps us get over the bump and move on to other things.

Once we make a decision we may find out something that would have lead us to decide differently.  The Halo Effect helps us live with the decision instead of carouselling our lives away.