The name cheerleader effect was coined by the fictional character Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris, in an episode of the television series How I Met Your Mother. Barney explains to his friends that, most of the time, women look particularly attractive just because they are in a group, but if examined individually, they would not be as seductive.
These are the exact words he uses to describe it: “And that, friends, is the cheerleader effect, also known as the “paradox effect”, the “sorority girl syndrome” and, reminiscent of the ’90s, “the Spice Girls conspiracy.” (Barney Stinson) In this Psychology-Online article, we will go in depth about what is the cheerleader effect and examples to understand it better.
What is the theory of the cheerleader effect?
The cheerleader effect, also known as group attraction effect, is the cognitive bias that causes people to appear more attractive when they are in a group. The term was supported by the research of Drew Walker and Edward Vul (2014) and van Osch et al. (2015).
Thus, the cheerleader effect causes us to perceive people or objectives as part of a group and therefore, we find them more attractive than when they are alone. In their research, Walker and Vul presented participants with a selection of photographs showing the faces of strange people. Each face appeared twice, once alone and once in a group. His and aesthetic was perceived as higher in the group photos.
This cognitive bias works because our visual system seeks to harmonize the elements that impact it, so it decodes more elements, choosing the best characteristics for each one and combining them to create a pleasant whole.
Psychologists have discovered that, at first glance, our minds unconsciously measure beauty according to the average. This average score tends to be higher than that of the individual. In other words, the average beauty score of a cheerleading team is higher than all the individual scores added together.
What is the cheerleader effect based on?
The visual deception explained by Barney Stinson is mediated by cognitive and perceptual processes that underlie other well-known optical illusions, such as the Ebbinghaus illusion and the moon illusion. Walker and Vul suggested that this effect comes from the interaction of three cognitive phenomena:
- The human visual system takes “ensemble representations” of faces in a group.
- The perception of individuals is unbalanced with respect to this average.
- Average faces are more attractive, perhaps due to average unattractive idiosyncrasies.
When all three phenomena occur at the same time, individual faces appear more attractive in a group because they look more like the average face of the group, which is more attractive than the members’ individual faces.
In the study by van Osch et al. (2015) the results obtained by Walker and Vul were confirmed. It presented two different explanations for the cheerleader effect:
- The to the most attractive members of the group.
- He Gestalt principle of equality or similarity. If you want to know what it is, in this article you will find information about .
Examples of the cheerleader effect
Being in a group is a vital tactic in the animal world, as it serves to defend oneself from enemies, find food more easily, take turns caring for the young, and be more attractive. In this sense, the cheerleader effect is beneficial for people who are more attractive when seen in a group than when seen alone.
In this sense, below we show you some examples of the cheerleader effect that illustrate how it works.
1. Social networks
Do you want to look sexier in your Facebook or Instagram profile photo? let yourself photograph in the company of someone that has complementary physical characteristics to yours, however, be careful not to overdo it. The human eye tends to focus on differences and appearing too different from the rest of the group could backfire.
2. Product sales
The cheerleader effect is particularly powerful because it occurs automatically and it is very difficult to rationally avoid its implementation, even if we are aware of it. Thus, this cognitive bias can be used in a physical store or in an e-commerce, since the individual product within a collection increases its appeal when the buyer combines its positive qualities with those of the surrounding items.
3. Digital marketing
Another possible use of the cheerleader effect is applicable to websites to mediate the impact of negative comments. If opinions are presented in a group, the best ones will create a perceptual compensation in the client with the least positive ones. This way, negative comments or low ratings won’t discourage your visitors. On the contrary, customers will appreciate your transparency and have more trust in your brand.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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References
- Walker, D., & Vul, E. (2014). Hierarchical encoding makes individuals in a group seem more attractive. Psychological Science, 25(1), 230-235.
- van Osch, Y., Blanken, I., Meijs, M.H., & van Wolferen, J. (2015). A group’s physical attractiveness is greater than the average attractiveness of its members: The group attractiveness effect. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41(4), 559-574.
Bibliography
- Dharma (2020). The cheerleader: Barney Stinson is not available. Retrieved from: https://qrios.it/effetto-cheerleader-barney-stinson-non-sbaglia-mai/2232/
- Diotto, M. (2020). Neurobranding. Il neuromarketing nell’advertising and nelle strategie di brand per i marketer. MILAN: Hoepli.