The effects of mindfulness on the halo bias in performance reviews

Abstract

Assessments and appraisals serve as the basis for promotions, salary increases, training and developmental plans, as well as decisions about whose contract to terminate if need be. However, appraisals are prone to being influenced by biases, most importantly by the halo bias, potentially leading to suboptimal strategic choices. At the same time, loving-kindness meditation and mindfulness have been shown to remedy many biases. To understand how mindfulness induced through loving-kindness meditation can impact halo bias, an experimental study was conducted in the scope of this thesis. The study examined the effect of a brief induction on mindfulness related measures and affect related measures. Furthermore, it aimed to assess whether people who have undergone a mindfulness induction through loving-kindness meditation exhibited lower levels of halo bias. The study revealed that participants exhibited higher levels of positive affect and significantly higher levels of state mindfulness. Most importantly, it showed that in the condition where halo bias is more likely to occur (moral description), decentering counteracted halo bias and significantly reduced it. The study9s results have implications for organisations, as short form meditation leads to significant increases in mood and mindfulness, which in turn might lead to higher engagement and satisfaction. Furthermore, it shows the potential of loving-kindness meditation as a tool to reduce halo bias.

Date of Award	15 Oct 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Cristina Soares Pacheco Mendonça (Supervisor)