What Is the Halo Effect in the Relationship

When two individuals fall in love, they most likely see the good in them, and that’s what makes them drawn to the person. However, it could be possible that people are seeing just the good and are failing to notice the bad.

In a way, they have created an ideal image of the person in their head, and the relationship is far from healthy in this case.

Does this mean anything? Let’s find out

What is the halo effect in relationships?

The term “halo effect” is used in many different ways. Still, its basic definition is that it refers to the tendency of a particular attribute or quality to affect an individual’s evaluation of another person or thing. 

In the area of interpersonal relationships, the term is often used to describe the tendency of people to associate positive characteristics in a person with whom they have a close relationship and to overlook negative traits in that person. 

The reverse is also true — people often tend to view an unattractive person as having negative qualities, while an attractive person is seen as possessing desirable qualities. 

For example, research by Karen Douglas and Jennifer Bosson found that women rated male politicians as more attractive than their actual appearance and that positive descriptions of the women did not increase ratings of personality attributes. 

Effects of the halo effect on the relationship

Everyone experiences the halo effect in their everyday lives. It is the tendency of people to attribute good qualities to things they like and bad qualities to things they don’t like

Following are the effects of the halo effect on the relationship:

– People generally like the person they like, and a person’s physical appearance, such as attractiveness, is an important reason for liking them. The halo effect may cause people to overlook the less attractive sides of a person they like.

– People tend to believe attractive people are more socially competent, intelligent, and have good qualities. In contrast, unattractive people are more likely to be viewed as unintelligent, unkind, and deceitful.

The halo effect is also visible in online dating. A 2015 study found that online daters generally preferred dating partners who were physically attractive, even if the partner was less attractive than them. The study concluded that “These results may indicate the presence of the halo effect in online dating.” A 2016 study also found that the halo effect was stronger in online dating than in offline dating. Future directions indicate studying the self-fulfilling prophecy in an online dating setting. 

Kat Akingbade and Charlie McDonnell investigate the Halo Effect and discover the impact it can have on first impressions and how others perceive you.