The Monet Effect

The Hidden Bias Behind Big Raises and Fresh Starts

Ever wondered why changing jobs often comes with a fat salary hike, but your excitement doesn't always last? That’s the Monet Effect at play—a psychological bias where our brains, when faced with incomplete information, color in all the gaps with the rosiest tints.

What Is the Monet Effect?

• Named after the famous impressionist painter Claude Monet—whose works look beautiful from a distance but blur up close—the Monet Effect describes how we idealize what we don’t fully know.

• When we only see a hazy outline, our hopeful minds fill in the blanks, making something (or someone) appear far more attractive than reality justifies.

Real-Life Example: Job Hopping and Salary Bumps

Picture this:
You're working at your current company, feeling a bit stagnant. Along comes a new job offer, complete with a shiny title and a 35% pay raise. On paper, the new employer looks like a dream—innovative projects, a chill manager, free coffee bar. You fantasize about fitting right in and finally unlocking your best self.

But fast-forward a few months. The new manager micromanages you, the “collaborative” culture is actually chaotic, and the fancy espresso machine is always broken. The dream morphs into just another reality—with flaws you hadn’t imagined.

Why did you fall for it? Because you filled in the missing details with optimistic assumptions, blind to the hidden downsides. The company, in turn, offered you a higher package than internal promotions usually get—because from a distance, you looked like the “perfect outsider”. But research shows external hires, on average, perform worse than internal ones, proving that the grass isn’t always greener when getting to know the real picture.

The Dating App Analogy

This isn’t just an issue at work. Think about dating apps: profiles polished to perfection, witty bios, curated selfies. You scroll, imagine amazing chemistry, and set up the date—only to find out that perfect match is, well, a regular person with quirks and contradictions. You go back to swiping, believing the next face will be “the one.” Sound familiar? That’s the Monet Effect, fueling the “grass is greener” chase.

How to Beat the Monet Effect

• Pause and Reality-Check: Before making big leaps, remind yourself that you may be idealizing the unknown.

• Ask for Specifics: Dig deeper into what you don’t know. Seek honest reviews, talk to future teammates, or get friends’ takes on potential matches.

• Value the Familiar: Recognize that new isn’t always better; sometimes, the best opportunities and people are already in your network, just less shiny from up close.

“Next time you’re tempted to chase the next big thing, remember: if you’re only seeing the impressionist painting, step a bit closer. Reality might surprise you—in good or bad ways.”

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1. “How to Not Die Alone” by Logan Ury

2. Bidwell, M. (2011). “Paying More to Get Less: The Effects of External Hiring versus Internal Mobility.” Administrative Science Quarterly.

3. Harvard Business Review, “Why External Hires Get Paid More, but Perform Worse.”

4. Psychology Today, “Why We Overestimate the Unknown.”