The contrast effect is a cognitive bias where the perception, cognition, or performance is altered by exposure to a stimulus of lesser or greater value in the same dimension. This means that our evaluation of something can be significantly influenced by what we have recently observed or compared it to. For instance, how we perceive colors or attractiveness can shift based on surrounding stimuli or alternatives that we've encountered just before.
For example, when we see an average-looking person right after we've seen a model, the average person may appear less attractive due to the contrast in attractiveness levels.
To overcome the contrast effect, try evaluating each stimulus in isolation without previous comparisons, focusing on objective criteria rather than relative differences.