Welcome to Beauty 101, where I’ll introduce you to terminology, facts, concepts, ideas, and theories related to beauty. Some posts in this category will be introductory; others, more in-depth.
GENERALIZED HALO EFFECT
The generalized halo effect, refers to the phenomenon whereby those who are partners of the very attractive get to share in the benefits of the halo effect. With the generalized halo effect, people attribute positive characteristics to the partners of the very good-looking (and not just the very good-looking individual). For example, in “The Bubble” episode of 30 Rock I wrote about earlier, Liz Lemon could have stayed in the Bubble with her boyfriend, Drew, where she could have benefited from his attractiveness.
Most often though, the generalized halo effect is reserved for not-so-good-looking men who are the partners of gorgeous women — people assume the man must be smart, powerful, and wealthy because of his partner’s attractiveness.
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