Horn effect: how our negative biases work

This perceptual bias could cause us to miss the opportunity to meet exceptional people.

Human beings are imperfect. Because of the Biological heritage of our most primitive ancestors, people conceive an image or first impression of others in a matter of seconds.

This phenomenon is attributed to the brain's speed and agility to decide and act as it sees fit. Well, the Horn effect is something similarIt turns out to be a tendency to form a negative opinion of someone from a simple and not very thorough observation.

Biases as a starting point

Before we dive into the technical definition of what the Horn effect entails, we need to understand something fundamental about human behavior. We are social beings, we need to be accepted by others and make a good impression.. We can't help it, we always want to be part of an identity, of a group.

As a common practice, just as we intentionally give one image or another, we also give our opinion about others. We are constantly prejudging, and we do so in a pessimistic way and many others in an optimistic way. Let's see what this means so far.

What is the Horn effect?

The Horn effect is the opposite of the Halo effect.. The latter consists in the generation of a favorable opinion about a person as a whole, based on the observation of a single defining characteristic: usually, his or her physical appearance. We construct a fictitious mental schema based on very limited information.

In contrast, the Horn effect simplifies the perception of what is observed by focusing on the negative. When we join a soccer team, we pay attention to the coach's harangue. According to the tone, the gesticulation and the vocabulary used, we will think that he is a serious person, with a tendency to a state of tension and anger. Once the session is over, it turns out that he offers us a ride home and we have a nice chat with him. Once again, the psychological mold we had set up for ourselves is broken..

In short, both the Halo effect and the Horn effect are biased and subjective views. are biased and subjective visions that have been analyzed by our cognitive abilities.. Selective attention to the features we notice is also part of this process. Sometimes, we insist on continuing to draw a bad (or good) image of that person in order to maintain our pre-established beliefs.

In the job market...

We live in an era in which everything counts, every detail adds or subtracts, every word denigrates or flatter, and in the world of work this is a very dangerous trend. Especially when it comes to making a personnel selection.. According to statistical data, 80% of new candidates do not successfully pass the personal interview.

There are many times when we go to a job interview, with a more than adequate profile, fulfilling one hundred percent of all the requirements demanded by the job offer, and we return home disappointed and without having been offered the job. Both for better and for worse, the Horn effect has a terrible impact on the selection process of candidates looking for a new professional opportunity.

According to a study revealed by the business daily Expansión, more than 80% of potential applicants for a new job waste time depositing resumes or attending interviews called by companies. Managers or Human Resources managers spend no more than 1 minute reading CVs or, in many cases, throw half of them in the trash for lack of time. for lack of time. They look at the bare minimum, and form an opinion based on very little data.

Some guidelines to avoid the Horn effect

To begin with, we must insist on the idea that it will be practically impossible to avoid making value judgments about others. We are human beings, and it is a natural tendency. However, below you will find some recommendations to follow to avoid, as far as possible, this behavior.

1. Self-analysis

When we are immersed in a first glance analysis of a person we have just met, and we notice the aspects that stand out, we will have to take stock. If we focus too much on the negative, we will have to look for the positive, and vice versa. Only in this way will we come closer to a better perception of what we observe..

2. Be patient and avoid rushing

We are always in a hurry in everything. We live in a time in which everything happens very fast, everything is instantaneous and consumption is immediate. This also happens at the human level. You have to give yourself time, interact more with that person and then evaluate his or her personality.

3. Do not trust the first impression

The Horn effect responds, as it could not be otherwise, to a first impression. This point is correlated with the previous one. De must insist on seeking more experiences with that person of whom we have a bad personal relationship. of the person with whom we have a bad personal relationship. Perhaps one is one way at work, and another diametrically opposite in social life.

4. Sharing opinions with others

In some situations we are a group or duo of people who know one or more others at a given time. A highly recommended tip is to exchange opinions with the partner. It is surprising to see how different ways of analyzing the elements make value judgments vary radically.