A cognitive bias in which a positive impression of a person in one area influences overall judgment of that person in other areas.
From Greek 'halos' (disk of the sun/moon) + Latin 'effectus.' A glowing 'halo' of one trait illuminating everything else. Named by Edward Thorndike (1920).
The halo effect is why attractive people are assumed to be smarter and kinder — one good quality creates a 'halo' that makes everything about them seem golden.
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