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halo effect
You judge strangers as kinder based purely on appearance.
The halo effect is the tendency for an overall impression of a person to influence your feelings about their character.
Studies have shown that observers attribute positive qualities like intelligence and kindness to physically attractive individuals without any supporting evidence. You use one salient trait to paint a complete picture of the person's personality. This creates a persistent bias where you assume 'good' is holistic.
You mistake pleasant features for a pleasant character.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Edward Thorndike, 1920
- What the check found
- The definition and attribution to E.L. Thorndike (1920) are factually correct despite the reference material containing a distracter concerning a different historical figure.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.