Ah, common sense—the ultimate GPS for navigating life's everyday challenges. But what if I told you that relying solely on this internal compass could sometimes steer you into choppy waters? It’s like depending on an outdated roadmap: it might get you where you need to go, but you'll miss all the exciting stops along the way.
I’ve had plenty of run-ins with “common sense” that left me muttering, well, that backfired. And over the years—through studying psychology, working in media literacy, and just stumbling through real life—I’ve learned that common sense is both useful and deeply unreliable. It’s not that we shouldn’t trust it, but that we need to know when to pause, laugh, and say, hang on—maybe there’s more to this story.
Let’s dig in.
Understanding Common Sense
Before we jump in, let me share a quick thought that’s been rattling around my head. The Synthesis recently pointed out that common sense has a kind of double life: on one hand, it’s deeply shaped by culture—those quirks and idiosyncrasies that make one society’s “obvious” another’s “are you kidding me?” On the other hand, when you strip away those cultural layers, there are surprising universals that emerge, the things humans everywhere just seem to know.
I’ve seen both sides of this coin. Take me, standing in a friend’s living room halfway across the world, shoes politely off at the door while everyone else kept theirs on, staring at me like I’d just committed a social faux pas. My “common sense” was their “what on earth is she doing?” And yet, the very same people would warn a child not to touch a hot stove—because some instincts don’t care about culture, they’re just survival on autopilot.
1. What Is Common Sense?
Common sense is basically our mental shortcut for the “obvious.” It’s the voice that tells you to grab an umbrella when the sky turns gray or not to stick a fork in the toaster. These judgments are meant to be practical, immediate, and widely shared.
But here’s the catch: “widely shared” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. My idea of obvious might be completely foreign to you, depending on where we grew up, who raised us, and the stories we’ve carried.
2. The Philosophy Behind It
Philosophers have long debated the idea. Thomas Reid in the 18th century called common sense a collection of universal truths—so obvious that no reasonable person could deny them. But fast-forward to now, and it’s clear that universal isn’t really universal.
Think about it: if common sense was fixed, we’d all agree on politics, parenting, pineapple on pizza, and whether it’s better to text back immediately or after an hour. Spoiler: we don’t.
3. Personal Experience: Cultural “Obviousness”
When I first moved abroad for grad school, I realized my “common sense” clashed hard with local norms. Back home, common sense said you always take your shoes off before entering someone’s house. In my new city? People looked at me funny for standing awkwardly at the doorway unlacing my boots. It hit me—common sense is often just culture dressed up as logic.
When Obvious Ideas Trip Us Up
So if common sense isn’t universal, what happens when we treat it like gospel? We stumble, that’s what.
1. Common Sense Isn’t That Common
You’ve probably had moments where someone’s choice left you baffled and muttering, isn’t it just common sense not to do that? Except, it wasn’t common to them. That assumption—that what’s obvious to us must be obvious to everyone—is where so many conflicts and misunderstandings begin.
2. The Personal Anecdote: When Common Sense Led Me Astray
Confession time. I once tried to fix a leaky faucet with nothing but “common sense” and YouTube confidence. In my head, it was simple: tighten the thing that looks loose. One hour and a small kitchen flood later, I had a new respect for plumbers (and a soggy towel collection). My “obvious” solution only made things worse because I lacked the actual expertise.
3. Why We Overvalue It
Part of the problem is that common sense feels safe. It reassures us that we’re not clueless—that we have a built-in compass. But compasses can be broken, especially when we don’t realize our “obvious” solution is actually an assumption.
Peeking Under the Hood of How We Decide
Psychology pulls the curtain back on why “it just makes sense” can be a trap. Enter: cognitive biases, mental shortcuts, and the expertise factor.
1. Cognitive Biases: The Underside of Common Sense
Biases are the potholes in the road of common sense. Confirmation bias, for example, makes us notice only the evidence that supports what we already believe. “See? Everyone I know loves this new gadget—it must be the best.” Except…everyone you know might just share your taste bubble.
2. The Expertise Factor
Experts often see the world in ways that contradict layperson “logic.” A trained chef knows not to rinse pasta (a crime in Italian kitchens), while common sense for many home cooks screams, wash off that starch! Expertise comes from years of pattern recognition and nuance, not just gut feelings.
3. My Flight Anxiety Lesson
For years, I was a nervous flyer. Every engine hiccup felt like proof my common sense was right: this giant hunk of metal shouldn’t be in the sky. It wasn’t until pilot friends explained redundancies, safety checks, and turbulence physics that I learned my gut was lying. Here, science beat common sense, and thank goodness for that—otherwise I’d never have seen half the places I now call second homes.
Gut Checks and Second Guesses
So, do we throw intuition out the window? Nope. We just need to know when to lean in and when to call for backup.
1. The Gut Feeling: Helpful or Harmful?
Gut feelings rooted in lived experience can be life-saving. A parent sensing something’s off with their kid. A driver braking before they consciously see the ball rolling into the street. That’s intuition worth honoring.
But gut feelings can also be disguised fear or superstition. My fear of flying was one example. Another? For years, “common sense” told me investing was too risky. Looking back, that gut instinct cost me years of compound growth.
2. Balancing Intuition with Information
Think of gut feelings as drafts. Before you publish, fact-check. When the stakes are high—money, health, relationships—pair intuition with research. Ask questions, consult experts, challenge assumptions.
3. Personal Story: Job Decisions
Early in my career, I turned down a role that seemed “too risky.” My gut screamed stability. Later, I realized I’d missed a chance to learn in a dynamic environment that aligned perfectly with my long-term interests. Lesson learned: sometimes your gut clings to comfort when growth lives outside it.
Where Curiosity Crosses Disciplines
Here’s where things get fun—because when we invite other fields into the conversation, common sense starts to look like one lens among many.
“Thought experiments are more than mind games—they’re powerful tools that challenge what we take for granted. By asking ‘what if?’ we break free from the obvious, spark creativity, and discover new ways to see the world.”
1. Questioning the Norm with Thought Experiments
Take Schrödinger’s cat. A cat both alive and dead until observed? It laughs in the face of common sense. But such experiments aren’t just brain teasers—they push us to question how reality works.
2. Everyday Life Applications
You don’t need a physics lab to practice this. Try playing devil’s advocate in everyday decisions. Instead of defaulting to “this is how it’s always been done,” ask “what if?” When I applied this at work—questioning why we ran projects in one rigid way—we found creative alternatives that saved both time and headaches.
3. Personal Joy: Weird Questions
One of my favorite games with friends is asking absurd “what if” questions: What if gravity reversed for one minute every day? What if we aged backward? It’s silly, yes, but it flexes the same mental muscle we need to break from the trap of “obvious” thinking.
Learning the Steps of the Decision Dance
Common sense is neither hero nor villain—it’s a dance partner. But you need to know when to let it lead and when to take control.
1. When to Dance with Common Sense
Quick safety calls—fire alarms, emergency exits, don’t-touch-the-stove moments—are where common sense shines. In these situations, hesitation is riskier than acting on instinct.
2. When to Lead with Reason
Big life decisions? That’s when research and reflection should take the wheel. Moving cities, changing careers, deciding on major investments—these aren’t times to trust a gut feeling alone.
3. The Dance of Curiosity
When in doubt, I let curiosity step in. Instead of asking, “What’s obvious here?” I ask, “What don’t I know yet?” That shift has led me to books, conversations, and opportunities I’d have missed if I’d stayed cozy with common sense.
Keeping the Door Wide Open for Wonder
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: curiosity beats certainty. Common sense can feel like a warm blanket, but curiosity is the spark that keeps life interesting.
1. Why Curiosity Matters
Curiosity keeps us from accepting easy answers. It invites us to poke holes, explore alternatives, and find the joy in wondering.
2. The Personal Payoff
Every time I’ve let myself question “obvious” truths, I’ve gained more than I lost. Whether it was rethinking my career path, learning to love air travel, or laughing at my faucet fiasco, the reward was growth.
3. Practical Curiosity Habits
- Ask one “why” a day, even about something small.
- Challenge one belief you consider “obvious.”
- Share a weird thought with someone and see where it goes.
The Wonder Wall
What's your take?
Here’s what some of our readers are already wondering:
- “If common sense isn’t reliable, should we question every decision we make?” – Alexa, San Francisco
- “What if we had a ‘common sense expiry date’ after which we reset our baseline assumptions?” – Yuan, Beijing
- “Is following common sense ritualistic, like speaking in clichés rather than creating novel expressions?” – Ravi, Mumbai
Now it's your turn! What's your wildest thought about the reliability of common sense?
Embracing the Complex Dance of Common Sense
Ah, there we have it. Common sense, reliable as it seems, is not infallible. It’s a dancer that requires accompaniment from diverse beats—be it learned expertise, scientific evidence, or sheer wonder. Life’s tapestry is woven with both familiar and novel threads; embracing both is where the true magic lies.
Now, what's your take on this? Add your thoughts to The Wonder Wall below! What's the last decision you based on common sense that didn’t go as planned? Or, maybe you have a wild “what if” regarding everyday decision-making? Toss it onto The Wonder Wall! Curious minds are waiting.
