Common sense is something we all have and use, probably without realising at times. But, is this something we’re born with or something that is learned over time?
Common sense is derived from both intellectual ability and life experiences used together to make good judgements. You are born only with an ability to develop common sense. As life progresses, you learn more about the world and this gives you more insight into what makes sense and what potential solutions could be.
Some people can translate their knowledge into common sense better than others either because of their intelligence, life experiences or a combination of both. But don’t despair, you can learn to tap into your experience and improve your common sense.
Are You Born With Common Sense?
Through our genetics we inherit intelligence, which is the basis of where our common sense stems from. So in a way, you are born with common sense through your genetic intelligence. Everyone therefore has some degree of common sense and it is something you are born with and is something that comes natural to us all. You will often find yourself using your own common sense, without even knowing that you’re doing it and that’s because it comes naturally.
Of course, while growing up, you are faced with many situations that you learn from, as well as constantly expanding your own knowledge and skills set. You will find that the older you are, the more you use common sense in situations, as it would’ve been learned from previous life lessons. So yes, you are born with common sense through genetic intelligence, but a lot of it also comes from learning.
Is Common Sense a Learned Behavior?
During your lifetime, you will experience many life lessons, all of which you will learn from and this builds your ability to have common sense. Along with this, you are continuously developing your knowledge, skills and experience in many different things, whether this be at a job, or the little day to day things you might do in the house. We’re always learning and developing, no matter how old you are!
According to the Merrium Webster definition, Common Sense is the “sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts”. They way everyone perceives their surrounding is through the facts that they know, that they have built through life experience.
Although common sense can come naturally to some people, it can also be harder for others. Sometimes, you may not even realise you’re using it, as it just comes to you naturally when in certain situations. There is no direct answer as to how you learn common sense, because it is something that is developed over years.
So, common sense is something that is learned, but there is no direct way of learning it as such. You are born with an ability to build common sense through your genetic intelligence, and as you grow and develop, your common sense will also grow and develop with you. It is something that is mainly learned from life lessons, situations and expanding your skills and knowledge. But, there’s no need to worry. It is something that comes natural to most of us and something that we all learn and develop, over time. There’s no right or wrong way when it comes to learning common sense, as we all develop differently and are faced with different life challenges, at different stages in our lives.
How can I develop my common sense?
To develop your common sense take note of things that are going on around you. The more knowledge you gain about the world, the easier it will be to make common sense judgements. As Mary Poppins says in the Disney children’s film, “sometimes a person we love, through no fault of their own, can’t see past the end of his nose.’ So, be aware, try and consider how your view point could differ from the view point of others.
Another thing to consider is to try new things. If you do the same things every day you will become an expert but only in a narrow field. By learning new skills your brain will learn how to analyse things differently than what you are used to. So you become more of an expert in life! These new analytical skills are likely to benefit you in more areas than just the new hobby.
A great way of building common sense is to start reading books. Non-fiction books will equip you with many facts that you can access later when deciding what the best action will be. But don’t overlook fiction books, they can also be a great resource in seeing different points of view, understanding how others behave, and getting an idea of how everyone has different perspectives of the world based on their own knowledge and experience.
How Do You Learn Common Sense?
Although common sense is something you are born with and learn along the way of life, it is something you can try to improve. Learning common sense isn’t quite as easy as doing some reading and sitting an exam, as it’s mainly developed through life lessons and skills. But people who are seen to have high levels of common sense, tend to be those who come across a problem, and can easily work out a solution. However, there are ways you can help to improve, gain and develop your common sense.
Have Trust in Yourself
The first thing to do, in order to build up and develop your common sense, is to trust yourself. Nothing will work if you don’t have trust, so start off by having trust in yourself and being confident whilst doing so. If you find yourself in a situation, where common sense may be used, have trust and confidence in yourself and your decisions. This will help to develop your common sense, especially for future situations as well.
Don’t Overcomplicate it
It can be very easy to complicate matters more, by overthinking it. When you’re thrown a challenge, don’t over analyse it too much. Take a look at the challenge and come up with a way of how to overcome it, it’s as simple as that. Sometimes, if you overthink things, you lose trust in yourself and your own common sense. By figuring out the best solution to the challenge, it will help to gain more common sense, that can be used in the future.
Leave Your Emotions Behind
In certain situations, there may be an emotional element to it, however, this needs to be taken out of the equation. By letting your emotions get involved when faced with challenges, it can often lead to you not thinking correctly and making it harder, to face the challenge and solve it effectively. By leaving your emotions behind, it allows you to focus on the problem in front of you, use your common-sense skills and develop these further.
Be Smart About it
It can sometimes be easy to deal with a situation, the way that we like to do it. However, this isn’t always the right answer, when facing challenges and problems. Instead, be smart about it and think of the ways it can be handled effectively, in order to get the best solution. Take your time to think about it and the different ways it can be dealt with and use your existing common sense, to think of the best possible way.
Not only are all of these tips a way of improving and developing your common sense, but they all use common sense too. This shows just how easy it is, to use common sense, whether that be in everyday situations, or a bigger challenge. When using your common sense, this is always developing and gaining more common sense and life lessons, from the situation or challenge, you may be in.
What causes lack of common sense?
A lack of common sense can be caused through a lack of experience, thinking, genetics and even fear of change. No matter what age you are, you are always learning, developing and gaining more knowledge, skills and experience, throughout your life. All of these things help improve your common sense, therefore making it something that can also be learned. People who just do the same way as always without thinking whether it is the best possible way can lack common sense.
Common sense is something that we are both born with and learn over the years of growing up. Genetic intelligence is something we all have and plays a bit part in being born with common sense. However, it will be used a lot when growing up when it comes to natural ability and life challenges.
If you found this article helpful, check out some of our other great articles written by our great team at Rednax Recruitment. Thought provoking blogs like; ‘What is the difference between a Job and a Career‘ or ‘Does it matter what your first job is?‘
While you are here, be sure to check out what Brisbane Jobs we have advertised as we are always looking for great people to join our labour hire team!
