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The Halo Effect is Ruining Your Love Life
A study published in 2000 aimed to pair participants with partners based on personality traits and beauty.
The researchers Guido Caldarelli (University of Rome) and Andrea Capocci (Fribourg University in Switzerland) incorporated what they called the “vogue factor” which labelled certain images of people as intrinsically more attractive than others.
When the vogue factor was ignored, the participants were able to find a partner who demonstrated their desires in personality.
However, when the vogue factor was included, participants all wanted the most attractive people. The personality traits people wanted were far less important than the physical beauty of their potential mate.
Of course, there is an evolutionary basis for this. Our ancestors mated with the healthiest of the species and these people were deemed to be more attractive. They didn’t mate with those who looked sick or disordered in some way, because they needed to produce healthy offspring.
Therefore, we are hardwired for look for beauty because it’s a shortcut to predict physical, psychological and even financial health.
But here’s the obvious problem. One can be introduced to another who has the traits they want in a partner but that person may be overlooked for someone else who…
