What Weakens Common Sense?

By Author: Chaitanya Kumari
Total Articles: 212
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There are several reasons that lead to weakening - and in some cases, even complete depletion of common sense. When this happens, the concerned individual is seriously impeded in making even routine decisions of daily life. Based on observations made by various experts and findings of several research studies, the following are a few of the primary factors.

• Sometimes, a person is overly obsessed with analyzing all possible consequences of a decision. They then fail to make a note of simple solutions that are clearly in front of them. This form of misguided thinking gravely impacts their sense of judgment. They are unable to resolve matters, and that only aggravates the existing issues.
• In many instances, an individual develops common sense through exposure to real-life experiences. When people do not have enough experience related to practical circumstances, their sense of judgment is hindered. In particular, they struggle when confronted by situations to which they haven’t been exposed earlier. Generally, this problem is more prevalent in people who depend excessively on the knowledge present in books. ...
... They make no effort to gain practical experience.
• Individuals who allot too much of their time to consuming digital media and neglect the aspect of obtaining hands-on experience have a big disadvantage. Their ability to properly judge things erodes. Over-dependency on technology, even for simple tasks, alarmingly depletes common sense. For these profiles, even easy-to-handle daily matters appear like major crises.
• Nowadays, many people hand over even easy tasks to devices and apps. These people gradually lose their ability to remember things, their sense of judgment, and skills specific to observation. As an example, reliance on GPS and setting daily reminders does a great disservice. It is rather disturbing to note that most people do not even treat this as a problem affecting their minds.
• The upbringing of an individual, along with their specific cultural background, are also critical factors. These parameters make a person come up with their definition of the term “common sense.” Let’s take an individual brought up in an environment where developing practical skills is not given importance. Their common sense might not be up to the mark.
• Erroneous patterns of thinking, like confirmation bias, diminish common sense. Confirmation bias refers to searching for information that does nothing other than reinforce a belief system that a person already carries. These seekers are not worried even if they cling to misconceptions and inaccurate concepts. The information sought, normally, does not contribute to knowledge in any way. These people tend to make false judgments; they do not possess the required level of common sense, either.
• We find some individuals who allow manipulative people to handle tough situations or make the right decisions on their behalf. To escape from managing challenging situations, excessive authority is given to these unscrupulous people. This is a kind of escapism that steadily destroys the ability to think independently.
• A person not having confidence in their abilities is more likely to end up making improper decisions. Some of these wrong decisions could even worsen the pertaining problems.
• Parenting is a major responsibility where both extremes have to be avoided - negligence and over-protection. There has to be a balance. Or else, there is a high risk of a child growing up into an adult with poor common sense. Self-limiting beliefs instilled in childhood could prevent a person from realizing their full potential in their academic and professional life.

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