Unlocking The Power Of The "HALO Effect": What You Need To Know

So today I want to talk about the deeper psychology of looking and feeling your best, and I want to talk about something really really interesting: it's called the halo effect. Halo effect is a psychological phenomenon that has been studied extensively, and it shows how people subconsciously attribute positive traits like intelligence, competence, and trustworthiness to those who they believe present themselves well. In other words, that is a snap judgment based on how you look.

So there's been research from Wiston University that suggests that people, within 100 milliseconds of seeing your face, make a snap judgment based on your appearance, right? So they're looking at you the way that you present, the way that you hold yourself, all of these things, and they're judging your competency, your lack ability, your trustworthiness purely based on what you look like. The world isn't fair, and honestly, this can grow both ways.

I remember whenever I was doing Dentistry, I remember one specific time I had a kid that was scheduled for instructions, right? So they were coming in, I went to the waiting room, I got the patient and the parent, and I brought them in; I sat them in, and I was talking to them, and the parent was so rude to me. They said, "Well, when's the doctor going to get in here?" and I said, "Oh, actually I'm the one seeing your child today; I'll be doing the instructions." Well, you, they made an assumption based on the way that I look. I was PLA and blond at the time, that I was young, I was inexperienced, I didn't have the education or the qualification, right? So these judgments go both ways, but on the other hand, they open doors.

So for me, understanding this phenomenon isn't about vanity, it's actually, it's deeper than that, it's about the way that you perceive yourself, and it's about aligning your external presentation with your internal aspirations. So when you dress with intention, you're creating a feedback loop: when you look polished, you feel more confident; when you feel more confident, you take more bold action. There's a quote I really like, this one is by Dr John Peterson, and he says, "Stand up straight with your shoulders back," and that is not just a piece of advice, it is a blueprint. It signals to the world, "I have confidence, I know what I'm talking about, I believe in myself," that is what you're putting out.

So I got together a list of a couple very very simple but meaningful, powerful ways, not to change yourself, but to just step into a version of you that feels confident, that feels aligned, that feels all these things. Because when you feel better, you present better; that confidence comes from within, and when you know that you're in your best shape, you know that you are healthy, you know that you have energy, you know that you are taking care of yourself, it's going to [Music] show. So let's talk about the external quickly.

The first one, of course, is tailored clothing. This doesn't have to be a super expensive thing, but when you have clothing that fits your body type, that is very specific for your body type, when you understand that, it is going to look better. I've talked about it a million times, but there's different styles for different body types and things that flatter us. How do we find that out? It's so simple: get onto Pinterest or look at a celebrity that maybe has a similar body shape to you. For me, I know that I look better in high-waisted things; it's just more flattering for me, and the truth is the fit of your clothing will show attention to detail.

So say, for example, if you are watching a show like Suits, you have the main characters and they are these guys. I don't think they're insanely handsome, right? Like it's not about that, but the way they present is so well: they have nice suits, they fit them well, and then they show, there's other scenes where they show these incompetent lawyers who are wearing, like, baggy suits and they don't fit well, and it kind of actually represents a level of competency. So for me, having clothing that fits well is just a sign of attention to detail.

Next is knowing your colors or wearing a neutral palette. So I have a ton of basics in my closet; I love neutrals: white, black, nude, all of these neutral colors because you can wear them and you can pair them so well. But if you are wanting to wear colors, then know your color palette. I'm going to put it right here if you want to watch it, it's really really interesting, and knowing your colors can just make such a huge difference; but if you're worried, if in doubt... neutrals!!

Up next is minimalist jewelry: wearing something that is classy and minimal, not huge and branded, but simply timeless. Also, the color for your skin, your undertones—different Metals present differently on our skin—so knowing what it is that looks best on you or what you actually enjoy wearing. And that brings me to the sponsor of today's video; this is s jewelry. I feel like I'm going to be talking about an old friend because this is a brand that I'm very familiar with, Suihe! I love it and I want to tell you guys a little bit about it.

So Suihe actually means sunrise in heaven, which can we just stop for a second and imagine what that would look like? So I'm actually wearing a couple of their pieces right now; I got pieces from them for my grandma and for my aunt for Christmas, so they actually have matching pieces. So I'm wearing some of their beautiful pearls; this is boutique jewellery, it's affordable, it's high quality, it's goldplated. I take it off whenever I sleep or whenever I'm in the shower or anything like that!

They have natural pearles, quality gem stones, precious metals, and of course a different array of metals. Basically, the reason that I love it is because they are Exquisite and, most importantly, they are Timeless! The truth is, I'm a jewellery girl, I love jewellery. For me, it's my poison of choice—some girls love shoes or bags, clothes—but for me, the thing that I like to invest in is timeless pieces that I can collect and create; they exude Elegance, they exude romance. I love it and I buy a different piece of jewelry in different seasons of my life, and I remember, oh, that bracelet I bought when I graduated University; that's the earrings that I got for myself when I hit this Milestone.

And to me, it's something Timeless and I love creating a collection of really beautiful, just quality pieces, and one day, talked about this before, but one day I will be passing that collection down to my daughter. I'm going to link these pieces in the description below if you want to check them out, by the way. Totally ridden side note, because I just told you about my grandma and how I got her this identical pair of pearl earrings for her Christmas present, while a really cool trick that she actually taught me probably 15 years ago is: if you want to check if a pearl is real, you actually just very, very, very gently grate your tooth on it, and if it feels gritty then it's real, and if it's not, if it's smooth then a very, very, very high chance that it's fake.

Moving on, my next point is impeccable grooming. Now I'm not saying you need to go drop $500 on getting your head on $100 on doing your nails; all of these things, I'm just saying basic cleanliness: just take care of your body. We get so busy and so wrapped up in life and the stress of work and the stress of family, in just coming home exhausted and just wanting to rot in front of the TV, that sometimes our health is not our first priority. And that is something I have definitely had to learn the hard way, because you know, you can look good on the outside, but if you're not doing well, if you're not feeling well, if you're anxious, if you're stressed, that's going to come out and your Skin's going to break out, you're going to have stomach issues, you're going to have all of these things that I've had to deal with.

I hate the word self-care because to me it's become such a narcissistic thing; it's like self-care is like, "come home and have a bubble bath." It's like, no, like when you're taking care of yourself, you're investing in your mind, like you're keeping your mind active, you're getting into the word, you're getting Community, you're praying; like these are things that are actually going to help you. A bubble bath is great and please, like I am such an advocate of that—that is one of my favorite things in the whole world. But understand that when it comes to glowing from the inside, there is something different that delves deeper and grows beyond something as simple as doing a face mask, okay?

Next is a subtle fragrance, and I have been on a big Journey, right? I have a very expensive, very curated perfume collection, and what I've realized going through this hashim's journey which is autoimmune disease is that a lot of fragrances are really really bad for us; they cause hormone imbalances, and I've been doing a lot of research on this and there's a lot of ways around it. So I've actually changed to a lot of clean scents, I've changed to a lot more essential oils, I've started using coconut oil instead of moisturizer. This is a whole another video; I would encourage you to do your own research because when you start researching it, it's actually really really scary.

I always thought people that were against sense were a little crazy, you know. I remember one time my dad went to my boyfriend's house and he's like, "Oh, you shouldn't have a candle, it's so toxic," and I was so embarrassed, I was like, "Dad, like, you can't just come to someone's house and like call a candle toxic," right? But I started actually researching and understanding, "Wow, there's like a lot of Fates, there's a lot of research that says that these things are endocrine disruptors and and they cause a lot of homor and imbalances," and the more I saw, started researching then I was like, "I'm going to be a lot more cautious with what I'm putting onto my body," and I bragged about this for the longest time. Before I climb into bed I would climb into bed by myself, I would go and I would spray perfume on me because I just like to smell good; when I went to sleep, I like to wear perfume all the time, and the more that I've researched the more that that has shifted.

So I would encourage you guys do your research; your health is is so important. 2025 is the year that we're going to be healthy from the side, not just an artificial covered up on the outside. I think this one is really important, and that is good confidence. Good confidence is also on the outside; it's the way that you carry yourself, the posture, eye contact, all of these things. Posture for me is so important: you can read so much about somebody by their body language, the eye contact they're making or not making, the way that they're fidgeting or holding their hands, even that the way that their feet are, the tone of their voice, their shoulders—all of these things portray confidence.

So for me, it's one of those things: when I don't feel confident, I'm still going to stand confidently because I'm going to overcome that fear. Because any word, any lie that I'm hearing in my head that is telling me that I'm not good enough, it's not from God and I'm not going to claim it. So that means that you know what, sometimes you do have to fake it until you make it. It means I'm going to still stand there, and you know what, I'm going to smile with my eyes; I'm going to put my shoulders back and I'm going to stand strong, and this is something that forms a habit. You have to practice it—the way that you walk, the way that you sit, even the way that you talk, the way that you shake hands—these are all things that are so important that maybe we don't think about, but these are all things that people see in the way that we portray ourselves.

I was very recently in a business meeting and I shook hands with the person that we were talking to and they were like, "Wow, I didn't expect you to have such a firm handshake," and I said to them, "Well, what did you expect?" This was because of an assumption they made about me because they thought, "Oh, maybe she's a girl or maybe doesn't understand business or whatever it is," they made an assumption based on whatever it was that I was maybe going to be less powerful than I was. But I'm going to shake your hand strong because I have just as much knowledge and just as much right to be standing here, and even if I still have a lot to learn, I'm still going to portray confidence. And the truth is, confidence is a skill—it's like speaking to a camera, it's like speaking in front of a group; all of these things are developed skills, you have to practice them and sometimes they're not easy, but you have to push through.

Again, I've been very intentional about putting myself into situations where I have to speak publicly because that is my biggest fear. I got to present recently at the influencer awards; I was so nervous having to MC, I've never done that before, but I stood up there confident and now I have a speak engagement in a week and I feel a little bit less nervous. It's like the more you do it, the more it becomes a skill, the more you develop it. So here's the truth: the more that we start to take care of our appearance and ourselves truly holistically from the ground, ground up, the more that we start to take control of the narrative.

And there's another quote that I absolutely love; it's also by Dr Peterson, and he says this: "You must have find who you are and then act to make that real." I think that's so true. Sit down, what do we value, what do we stand for, what is your mission statement for your life? And when you understand these things, it's less easy to be swayed by the opinions of others and all of these things, because the truth is, I'm not trying to be like you anyway—that's not my goal, so why am I letting your opinion affect me so much? This is something that I've had to do with and I've had to develop it, but it's a confidence that comes from knowing who I am, whose I am, and what my worth is, and what my calling is.

Looking good isn't shallow, it's actually purposeful. It can open doors for you, it opens opportunities, it speaks volumes, and I'm not talking about what you look like. You don't need to go get filler or do any of these things to change yourself; you are incredible and you're beautiful just the way you are. We were all born unique and that is okay; we don't all need to look like kashian. Don't you notice everyone started to look the same? We don't need to do that, but all of it starts from feeling your best, and that will translate to the halo effect, which means you are going to exude something that transcends you even walking into the room.

If this video inspired you, don't forget to hit the Subscribe button, join the jam fam, let's chat in the comments: what is one thing that you changed with your style that has helped your confidence? For me, the biggest thing that I changed was knowing my body type, because now I feel more confident in what it is that I wear. Alright guys, I love you very much, I will see you in the next video [Music].