The halo effect is a bias where one positive trait spills over, so people judge unrelated traits more kindly too. Psychological research has focused on attractiveness. Chaiken (1979) found that attractive presenters were about one-third more persuasive even when the underlying argument stayed the same. Listeners rated them as more honest or capable, even though looks do not make a claim true.

Marketers use that spillover when a spokesperson’s appearance makes a product feel more credible than the facts support.

Click Here for our lesson on Consumer Psychology and Persuasion in Marketing