People With Barely Any Critical Thinking Skills Often Say 9 Phrases In Casual Conversation
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock People who have strong critical thinking skills are able to look at the big picture without being influenced by their own feelings. In other words, it’s not very common these days.
Not being a good critical thinker doesn’t necessarily mean someone isn’t smart, but it does make their reasoning pretty questionable. These are some of the phrases they use the most that prove they have no idea what they’re talking about.
People who say these phrases usually have almost no critical thinking skills:
1. ‘People wouldn’t lie about that’
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Strong critical thinkers are a bit like investigators. They don’t accept whatever people tell them, even if it seems logical. They always want to dig deeper to make sure they don’t miss anything.
Everyone’s brain tries to condense the information they learn so it’s easier to understand. This becomes an even bigger problem for someone who doesn't have critical thinking skills. They don’t feel a need to do their due diligence and confirm what they hear before accepting it as truth.
2. ‘They’re either right or wrong’
There’s a lot of nuance in the world, but people who aren’t good critical thinkers don’t usually see it. They think in extremes instead and assume everything is right or wrong, with nothing in between.
This could seriously affect their ability to recognize when someone is only being partially truthful or to choose the lesser of two evils. There aren’t many situations where there truly is just one right answer, and life will be much more complicated if they can’t see that.
3. ‘It must be true because I saw it online’
There’s nothing that makes a critical thinker cringe as much as someone insisting certain information is true because they saw it on the internet. That’s a dangerous way to think when AI can make fake images look real, and anyone can claim to be an expert without having real credentials.
The spread of misinformation is far from logical, though. People usually believe things that evoke really strong emotions or that they see over and over again. That obviously doesn’t make something true, but it can make it feel true to some people, and that’s enough for them.
4. ‘Nothing is going to change my mind’
A lot of people think they’ll look weak if they change their mind, so they never do. They would rather stick with what they think they know than consider new evidence. That’s a true mark of someone with no critical thinking skills.
It takes a lot of work for someone to change their mind, which is probably why so many people resist it. Only deep thinkers are willing to put in that kind of effort to question their own beliefs, even if it makes them feel uncomfortable in the process.
5. ‘You can believe whatever you want to’
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This phrase is super condescending. It’s basically a weak critical thinker’s way of saying, “You’re totally wrong, but that doesn’t bother me as long as you don’t try to convert me to your wrong opinion, too.”
Research has shown that many people feel like they’re morally superior in some way even if they don’t fully realize it. That creates the conditions necessary for them to pity other people for their incorrect beliefs. They really do think they’re better when they’re barely using any brain power.
6. ‘It doesn’t matter because I know I’m right’
It’s pretty bizarre for someone to be confronted with evidence that proves they’re wrong only for them to ignore it completely. That’s definitely a trait that’s more common among people who just don’t think critically.
As sad as it sounds, it’s pretty normal for people to only accept information that backs up what they already believe. Someone who’s willing to think deeper might be able to overcome this, but other people just don’t want to. Why should they prove themselves wrong?
7. ‘Everyone can’t be wrong’
People who aren’t critical thinkers are more susceptible to groupthink, which is what happens when a group of people comes to the same conclusion just so they agree with each other. Even if something doesn’t make any sense, they might argue that it can’t be wrong if everyone else believes it, too.
That’s a pretty flawed way of thinking, but it can be hard to recognize when someone wants to fit in and doesn’t spend much time thinking for themselves to begin with. It’s the kind of thing people think they’ll never fall for until they actually do, with only the strongest thinkers being immune.
8. ‘It feels right to me’
It’s pretty odd that someone who doesn’t really think critically would probably be the most likely to repeat the cliché “facts don’t care about your feelings” while also relying on their own feelings way more than facts. That just proves they aren’t thinking on the same level.
Emotions stand out more than facts do, so it can be hard for people to see past them. Still, unless someone’s making the kind of decision that requires their gut instinct, it’s best to consider the actual evidence. It’s almost impossible to build an argument off of vibes alone.
9. ‘Don’t think about it so much’
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Some people really are overthinkers who spend too much time scrutinizing an issue that they can’t see it clearly anymore, but that’s not what people who lack critical thinking skills are talking about when they tell someone not to think so much.
Instead, they’re probably well aware of the fact that whatever they said can be easily disproven, and it won’t be hard for a critical thinker to do it. This is a way for them to protect themselves and not a way for them to look out for others’ mental health.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
