The Impact of the Halo Effect on Philippine Society

Back in college I was part of a musical group, a loving familial student orchestra. Not only did we play Bach to Nickelback (now regretting the latter), we were also keen on other aspects of student life such as studies, friendships, and leadership. One important thing I learned during my time in this great organization is how people can get away with anything just as long as they possess a certain trait. During my time at the orchestra I had an org mate who was very interesting indeed, she was extremely snobby (judges people solely on what they wear), she was of no use whatsoever (couldn't do the simplest tasks), and to further put an exclamation mark on it, she was terrible at playing the flute (as in like you’re better off listening to goats having an orgy). But people didn't see that, you know why? Because she was sexy, or at least people perceived her to be hot (Honestly her weird fashion sense made her look like a Russian prostitute who had 5 shots of vodka and is behind her quota).

Despite all of these shitty attributes, she was elected to a high position within the orchestra (she actually didn't do any of the tasks, she had her fanboys do them), and people placed her in front during performances (a position usually reserved for the most skillful performer) even though she sounded like fuck. All because she was pretty, because hey, having a pretty face means being great performer and a leader right? This my friends is a perfect example of the Halo Effect. A term coined by the Father of Modern Educational Psychology Edward Thorndike, here is a definition from the website About.com:

            “The halo effect is a type of cognitive bias in which our overall impression of a person influences how we feel and think about his or her character. Essentially, your overall impression of a person ("He is nice!") impacts your evaluations of that person's specific traits ("He is also smart!")”

The Halo Effect isn't concealed to dumb college kids, it can be seen in various areas in society especially politics. People fall for it every time, even the so called “intellectual elites” fall for it. Now let’s play a game, I will describe how idiots view certain personalities and you guess who the person is:

1.) He is such a great boxer! I’m sure he will make a great president!

2.) He is always defending the masses in the movies, I’m sure he will defend the masses in real life. Corrupt politicians look out! Isang bala lang kayo!

3.) She has her father’s last name! She will make a great senator even though she has no political experience whatsoever.

4.) He is such a great noon time host! I’m sure he will make a great senator!

And finally

5.) He is the son of his mother and his mother is the wife of a charismatic martyr! I’m sure he is a great president! One more term!

This bullshit will only stop once we analyze an individual by their relevant merits instead of unrelated traits that distort their credentials. They know that most of us fall for this that is why they go for dumb infomercials such as this, this, and this. I know that the elections are 2 years away but please pick reputation over recognition, and reason over superstition.