People With Actual Common Sense Tend To Get Annoyed In These 11 Social Situations
garetsworkshop | Shutterstock Common sense is typically defined by intelligence, social norms, interpersonal skills, and self-awareness, but that doesn't mean there's an explicit list of what being a commonsensical person means. It's a blend of everything, informing how people act around others and navigate life, with a grounded sense of intentionality.
They're not overconfident about their skills and abilities at the expense of productivity, or even charming to distract from their insecurities, but instead intentional about how they interact, engage, and navigate through their daily life. While common sense, as we know it, is often dependent on the environment we're in, there are certain things that people with actual common sense tend to get annoyed by in these social situations. There are commonalities amongst intelligent, well-rounded people that other people may overlook, but they're powerful reminders of what's important.
People with actual common sense tend to get annoyed in these 11 social situations
1. People stopping in crowded spaces
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Social awareness isn't just about understanding and empathizing with other people's actions and emotions — it's also about understanding physical spaces and environments. Being intentional about physical space around others, respecting boundaries in shared spaces, and being careful about how you move through a space with respect — those are pillars of social awareness.
From stopping in crowded spaces to being on their phone while walking in public environments, people with actual common sense tend to get annoyed in these social situations. They have the social awareness that these people lack on every level.
2. People not returning a shopping cart
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While the action of returning a shopping cart is nuanced in more ways than one, it truly is a measure of a person's selfishness and society in general, even if it seems harmless. Of course, parents or someone worried about safety may not return a cart for good reason, but many people aren't doing it for anything but to protect their comfort.
They're not thinking about making life easier for anyone but themselves, but people with common sense are at least cognizant of how these little things affect others.
3. Talking on speakerphone in public
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Many people complain about loudness in public spaces and a general sense of ignorance when it comes to mutual respect in social environments, at least according to a study from Pew Research Center. Whether it's talking on speakerphone in public or having a loud, public conversation when people are trying to focus around them, these are the unsuspecting things that truly annoy people with common sense.
These people are intentional about how they show up, even around people that they don't know at all, because if they want respect from strangers, they need to offer it.
4. Leaving trash in shared spaces
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While research does suggest that the majority of littering problems are rooted in accidental and polite behaviors, there are plenty of entitled people who leave trash in shared public spaces who care more about their comfort than protecting cleanliness and the environment.
Whether it's leaving trash in a public park or leaving shared spaces worse than they found them, these are things people with actual common sense get easily annoyed by in their daily lives.
5. Oversharing in inappropriate settings
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Whether it's on social media or at work with near-strangers, people with actual common sense tend to get annoyed when people overshare in inappropriate settings. Not only does it tend to make people uncomfortable, but it also offers them an emotional burden where they feel pressured to show up, reassure, and solve other people's problems for them.
While it might be rooted in insecurity or shame, people who regularly overshare are coping with something, but that doesn't mean it has to be everyone else's discomfort that's at stake.
6. Ignoring basic instructions
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Many people who ignore basic instructions and rules are either too entitled to consider why they need to put their comfort at risk for conformity or are too ignorant to consider them at all. However, people with common sense, who balance challenging the "norm" with respecting people's time and space, are easily annoyed in these social situations.
Whether it's following workplace rules and expectations or simply being present in public spaces, they're not challenging things just to be difficult.
7. Multitasking during serious interactions
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Whether it's texting on your phone when someone else is talking or trying to do another task during an important work meeting, multitasking can quickly lower your attention and productivity, at least according to clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Jennifer Davis, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
People with actual common sense tend to get annoyed easily in these social situations, especially when it puts more work and pressure on their table. Of course, they're empathetic and understanding that other people don't always have the time to give their full attention 100% of the time, but that doesn't mean they can't offer communication or respect that levels the playing field.
8. Workplaces with few processes
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Many workers argue that broken processes and poor organizational skills are the reasons for low productivity and morale in their workplace environments. While ignorant, disconnected, and lazy people might not even notice these faults in the first place, they're one of the things that instantly annoy people with actual common sense.
They like to work hard and often care about supporting initiatives and peers in the workplace, but don't have the structure to do so when it lacks organization.
9. Conversations with tons of interruptions
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According to career and personal coach Marty Nemko, interruptions in conversations are more harmful than many people realize. Not only do they sabotage productive interactions and the flow of conversations, but they also tend to offend people and make them feel less valued in social interactions.
Even if they don't like someone or necessarily agree with them, people with common sense care about the integrity of their conversations. They can't stand people who interrupt, because they have more self-control and emotional regulation skills than someone who feels the need to speak their mind without considering anyone else.
10. Overcomplicated interactions
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Many people who are trying to seem more overconfident in their lives overcomplicate things to make it feel exclusive and hard to understand. Compared to truly intelligent people, who often work toward clarity and simplicity in every aspect of their lives, according to a study from WIREs Cognitive Science, they make everything harder to make their skills and abilities seem much more important than they really are.
That's why people with common sense tend to get annoyed in these social situations. They want things to not only be easy to understand but also to be accessible and inclusive to people interested in them.
11. People who don't apologize
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Whether it's blame-shifting when something goes wrong at work or guilt-tripping friends for expecting an apology when their feelings are hurt, people with actual common sense tend to get easily annoyed in social situations where people refuse to take accountability.
People with common sense know that taking accountability for mistakes offers opportunities to learn and grow, but for others, who are more focused on immediate comfort, it's something to run away from.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
