The Distortion and Halo Effects

We have a tendency to perceive events that have already occurred or facts that have already been established as obvious and predictable things, despite the lack of sufficient initial information to predict them.

How does it work? Whatever happens, nothing should ever take us by surprise – we can't look like fools, so we prefer to edit our memories. Soon, there is a situation that we would prefer to know in advance. We do not back down, but on the contrary, we convince ourselves that we have assumed so.

This error can distort memory processing, in particular, how to restore and reproduce past experiences. This leads to false theoretical conclusions. Thus, the effect can cause serious methodological problems at the stages of analysis and interpretation of the experimental studies results. For example: "I thought so!" or "I knew it from the beginning!"

Another thing is when a person in a situation that makes a positive impression on them. There is an unconscious "attribution" to them for other positive qualities; if they do not appear to them later.

The halo effect is not limited to social phenomena. For example, people consider a hamburger from a bun, meat, and salad is less caloric than a hamburger with a bun and meat. Although it is not logical, as the salad cannot reduce the calories. This is called the Healthy Food Halo Effect. Thus, consciousness and psychology distort our perception and influence our emotion.

Source: Andrey’s Letter

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The Lantern (офонареть)

        Today, the jargon word "lantern" is synonymous with "freaking 

out", "fooling", etc. Until 1730, Moscow plunged into the darkness 

and was empty with dusk – walking in the dark was forbidden by a 

special decree. Only the royal palaces and the houses of officials 

were illuminated by lanterns with a candle or oiled wick.

        However, in November 1730, General Count G. Chernyshev 

(Moscow governor) wrote a note to Saint Petersburg about the fund 

allocation for street lighting. Empress Anna Ioannovna allowed this. 

On December 25 of the same year, Moscow lit up with the first 

lanterns – 9 years later than Saint Petersburg. 

        Polices were ordered to install lanterns in the Kremlin and on 

the largest street of Moscow. A total of 520 lanterns were installed. 

They were lit between September 1 and May 1 and only 18 nights a 

month, because they believed that the rest of the nights were lunar.

        Cannabis oil was poured into the first Moscow lanterns as fuel. 

Soon, however, an unexpected and unpleasant thing was discovered. 

Firefighters, who filled the lanterns with hemp oil, found that it was 

oil "for a good taste" and began to add this oil abundantly to the 

porridge. The lanterns were extinguished long before the due time, 

but it was "up to the lantern" for firefighters. To end this, the city 

authorities ordered to fill the lanterns with alcohol diluted with 

smelly turpentine. But, that didn't stop the strongest drunks from 

drinking this stinky alcohol every night. That's when the expression 

"lantern" appeared. 

Source: Forgotten Stories

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