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Halo Effect

Definition 1

Diffusion of the perception of one characteristic of a person or thing to other characteristics of the same person or thing. For example, an attractive political candidate may also be considered warm and friendly.

Source: Behavioral Science Lab, 2017

Definition 2

This concept has been developed in social psychology and refers to the finding that a global evaluation of a person sometimes influences people’s perception of that person’s other unrelated attributes. Halo effects have also been applied in other domains of psychology. For example, a study on the ‘health halo’ found that consumers tend to choose drinks, side dishes and desserts with higher calorific content at fast‐food restaurants that claim to be healthy (e.g. Subway) compared to others (e.g. McDonald’s) (Chandon & Wansink, 2007).

Source: Behavioral Economics

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