Why We Think Attractive People Are Also Smarter And Funnier

Have you ever had someone tell you not to judge a book by it’s cover? Or that appearances don’t matter? Turns out our brain is wired to make these quick judgments based on appearances because of a mental shortcut called the Halo Effect.

Basically the Halo Effect is the tendency we have to use how likeable/attractive we think someone is to gauge other qualities like intelligence and humour. The more attractive or likeable a person is the more likely we are to see them as smart, kind, and funny. Our brains use our first gut impressions and feelings about someone to make other quick decisions about their personality.

Edward Throndike first coined the term in a 1920 paper where he asked military officers to rate their subordinates on a number of personal qualities like leadership, physical appearance, intelligence, and loyalty. What he found was that when people were rated high on one quality, they tended to have high ratings in all other qualities. So if they rated someone as attractive they were also likely to say the person was a good leader and was loyal. And those people rated low in one area tended to be rated low across areas (less attractive people were rated as weaker leaders and less loyal).

This finding has been repeated many times. When we rate people as good looking we also tend to believe they are funny and smart. One study even found jurors were less likely to believe that attractive people were guilty!

Marketers take advantage of the Halo Effect by placing celebrities next to products so our positive feelings toward that celebrity will transfer to the product. Hey look at this celebrity they’re such a great person, well then you should also like our product!

Job applicants can benefit from the Halo Effect too. If an applicant is rated as attractive or likeable they are also more likely to be evaluated as intelligent and qualified.

Keep this in mind, first impressions and appearances count! Next time you are on your way to a job interview take a few extra minutes to pick out an outfit that you know makes you look good and also makes you feel confident. Remember the more confident we are the more attractive we seem, so it’s not only about looking good, it’s about feeling good that will create that winning first impression.