People With Exceptionally Strong Critical Thinking Skills Say 9 Phrases In Casual Conversation
AYO Production / Shutterstock Critical thinking skills are often forgotten in conversations about intelligence, but the ability to analyze and evaluate information is crucially important in pretty much every aspect of our lives.
Those people who have the strongest critical thinking skills are surprisingly easy to spot. No one can read minds, but you can tell that their brains are operating on a different level from the things they say all the time that most people never bring up.
When people have exceptional critical thinking skills, they usually say these phrases in casual conversations
1. ‘I don’t want to make assumptions’
Minerva Studio via Canva
Everyone makes assumptions pretty frequently, often without even realizing they’re doing it. But as clinical psychologist Jennifer Guttman, PsyD, said, “What we’ve forgotten is that ‘guessing’ is based on a lack of evidence.”
That’s not good enough for the critical thinkers out there. They know how important it is to be able to back up the points they’re making with evidence, so not having any makes them feel uncomfortable about reaching a conclusion. Instead, they try to make all of their decisions based on actual facts, even if it’s a bit more inconvenient to work through that information.
2. ‘That’s a reliable source’
A lot of people probably haven’t asked themselves whether a source was reliable since they finished school, but strong critical thinkers never let it go. People can get information from pretty much anywhere these days, but that doesn’t mean it’s all true.
Sometimes people make pretty serious choices pertaining to their health based on what they see on social media from people who have no expertise. This really freaks people out when they’re able to think critically. They don’t have a problem asking someone for the source they’re using or sharing their own sources to prove a point.
3. ‘How do we know that?’
Critical thinkers never take anything at face value. Even if they’re talking to the most trustworthy person in the world, if that person tells them something they didn’t already know, they’ll have questions.
This really has more to do with their own curiosity than some sort of trust issues. People who enjoy learning usually take to new concepts faster than others. This makes them want to know the process it took to confirm something is a fact instead of just the fact itself.
4. ‘I can’t say for sure’
Being a good critical thinker doesn’t necessarily mean someone is actually smarter than everyone else. They usually enjoy the pursuit of knowledge more, though, so they have no problem admitting when they don’t understand something and would like to learn more.
When someone can admit they don’t know everything, they’re showing high levels of intellectual humility. It’s not surprising that this means they’ll probably want to learn more to fill their own knowledge gaps. It creates a perfect circle that just makes sense.
5. ‘I feel like we’re missing something’
Yan Krukau from Pexels via Canva
Someone who’s good at thinking critically sees everything like it’s a puzzle. Even if they can see the general picture the puzzle makes, they aren’t satisfied unless every piece falls into place.
They aren’t afraid to question information that most people would accept without thinking twice. If something feels off to them, they won’t be happy until they can address those concerns. They’re able to pick up on details while also keeping an eye on the big picture in a way many people can’t.
6. ‘How did you come to that conclusion?’
The thing about having strong critical thinking skills is that it doesn’t just affect someone’s own thought patterns. They’re also more aware of how everyone else thinks. And if they recognize logical fallacies in other people’s reasoning, they’ll challenge them.
People reveal a lot about the way they think through their actions, especially the things they do without really thinking. Critical thinkers know that’s an important clue, so they follow up when someone’s reactions confuse them.
7. ‘Neither side is completely wrong’
Sometimes people are just wrong, and those who think critically enough to see that aren’t going to ignore it just to avoid hurting their feelings. But they can also acknowledge other points of view in a way that many people struggle with.
This could get frustrating when they refuse to take a side in an argument. In a world that’s so full of heated disagreements, it’s really a strength to be able to say that both sides have a fair point and neither is totally wrong, though.
8. ‘Is there another explanation?’
When someone with strong critical thinking skills feels like they don’t have a good enough answer to their question, they just keep asking more. This doesn’t mean they’re arguing about whether something is true. Instead, they’re just trying to make sure they understand why it’s true.
Most people have been in a situation where they knew something was right, but the details felt a little hazy. They might be willing to move on without a clear answer, but critical thinkers aren’t. They always dig deeper.
9. ‘Thinking like that is too black and white’
Motortion from Getty Images via Canva
Black and white thinking is actually a cognitive distortion that affects people who think about everything in terms of extremes. They aren’t willing to find any middle ground, or gray area, that exists in between two opposites.
This bothers people who think critically because they want to look at issues from every angle possible. They know there’s a lot more to any spectrum than just each end of it, and they call people out when they try to pretend that’s not true.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
