11 Things People With Zero Common Sense Do Daily That Baffle Everyone Else
Roman Samborskyi / Shutterstock People who lack common sense will typically behave in ways that baffle everyone else they encounter. These behaviors are misunderstood by people who do have common sense because they either lack consideration for others' surroundings or overall well-being.
People with common sense have a hard time grasping how unaware people who have zero common sense are. They cannot understand certain behaviors because they possess a different kind of focus that usually has concern for those around them and the long-term effects that certain actions have on others and themselves.
These are 11 things people with zero common sense do daily that baffle everyone else
1. Talking on speakerphone in public
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People with zero common sense will usually take calls on speakerphone while they are in public. This shows a lack of common sense because it completely disregards the personal space of other people, and it invades the privacy of the person on the phone as well as the people around them.
This daily behavior usually baffles people who have common sense because they know that no one else in public asked to be a part of the phone call. Yet a person who chooses to use speakerphone in public makes this the case without consideration for others. People with common sense will typically show concern for those around them and will not want to act in any way that could make them feel uncomfortable, so it will be hard for them to understand why someone wouldn't do the same.
2. Ignoring personal space
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Respecting other people’s personal space is an unwritten social rule that most people are aware of without needing to be told. However, someone who lacks all common sense will typically be the first to ignore someone else’s personal space and see nothing wrong with it.
This makes no sense to those who do have common sense because they know that it lacks respect, situational awareness, and empathy for others. They have trouble understanding how someone could completely overlook the potential negative impact they may be having on someone if they invade their personal space and overstep their boundaries.
3. Procrastinating on everything
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A lack of common sense is usually highlighted through irrational behaviors. When someone is fully aware of the consequences of their actions yet does certain things anyway, they likely have zero common sense.
A person may be aware that by procrastinating, they will likely feel stressed, struggle to get anything done, and feel guilty for putting things off. Despite knowing this leads to negative outcomes, they will do it anyway because they are more concerned with what feels good to them in the present moment.
People who have common sense are long-term thinkers. They are baffled by other people procrastinating, because they know that completing tasks when assigned leads to more positive outcomes in the long run.
4. Lacking situational awareness
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Common sense allows a person to apply practical judgment to their perceptions of the environment around them and the possible outcomes of certain actions. Considering this, situational awareness and common sense go hand in hand, making it very difficult to have one without the other.
Situational awareness helps a person make well-informed decisions by making them more aware of potential threats in their environment. Sometimes these threats seem completely out in the open, so it occasionally baffles people who do have common sense when these threats go unnoticed by others.
“To engage with situational awareness, don’t try to focus on everything in your environment at once. Instead, be attuned to what doesn’t belong. Give your attention to what doesn’t make sense or is out of place around you,” suggests Jamie Aten, Ph.D., the founder and executive director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute of Wheaton College.
5. Oversharing
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Someone who constantly overshares likely lacks a high level of common sense. Not only is this a sign of poor judgment, but it also signals poor social navigational skills. People who have common sense may have trouble accepting oversharing because they realize that it usually comes at the expense of disrespecting boundaries.
“Oversharing often stems from a lack of awareness about what’s appropriate in different settings. It can happen to anyone, and navigating relationships in a world where boundaries can be blurry isn’t easy. The good news is that learning to recognize your triggers, adjusting your approach, and building healthier boundaries can help you create stronger, more balanced connections,” according to Ebby Bowles for BetterUp.
6. Being habitually late
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Being on time for certain things is a basic life skill that helps an individual function successfully in everyday life. People who are habitually late typically lack common sense. This behavior shows that a person has trouble self-regulating and planning and may not be completely considerate of other people’s time.
Clinical psychologist and counseling psychologist, Eugenia Kalenyuk, explains that, “At its core, being late is a violation of pre-established agreements. When you commit to meeting someone at a specific time, you are also promising to respect that person's time. For individuals who are chronically late, the habit may be rooted in an inability to perceive or value personal boundaries.”
7. Creating unnecessary conflict
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Unnecessary conflicts typically lead to irrational outcomes. People with common sense use practical and sound judgment to determine what should and should not become an argument. This makes it difficult to grasp how some people fight about even the most illogical things.
Someone who lacks common sense will entertain conflicts that could be avoided by allowing logic to dictate their reactions to certain things. They will typically be more concerned with “winning” an argument rather than aiming to solve the issue at hand.
8. Repeating mistakes
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When a person continues to repeat the same mistakes over and over again, even after being fully aware of the consequences, they may lack common sense. Common sense requires a high level of emotional regulation, which may be something these individuals struggle with.
According to Psychology Today, “Emotion regulation is the ability to exert control over one’s own emotional state. It may involve behaviors such as rethinking a challenging situation to reduce anger or anxiety, hiding visible signs of sadness or fear, or focusing on reasons to feel happy or calm.”
When a person has a hard time managing their emotions, they may fall back into the same mistakes because they allow their emotions to drive behavioral decisions without considering the long-term emotional consequences.
9. Ignoring social cues
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Social cues help individuals navigate everyday life and interactions with society. A person who has zero common sense will ignore these cues and typically struggle in relationships.
While they may be unspoken, social cues are typically well-known by everyone who has common sense. They struggle not be baffled when they see someone blatantly ignoring them while in public settings. By missing these non-verbal cues, interactions typically become awkward for someone with no common sense, and they probably experience a lot of misunderstanding.
10. Forgetting essentials
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A person who commonly forgets essentials may struggle with practical and fundamental reasoning, which is a major ability when it comes to possessing common sense. Without this, navigating everyday life becomes significantly more complex.
Someone who has a high level of common sense may be baffled when someone forgets the basics that they require to live efficiently, because to them, remembering these things is like second nature. It is a personal responsibility that to them will seem very hard to overlook.
11. Focusing on their phone during conversations
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A person who struggles to have in-person conversations without being focused on their phone typically comes across as lacking common sense. People who have common sense may consider this behavior to be rude and dismissive.
They understand that a person’s focus cannot truly be on two things at once, so they know that if a phone is taking away some focus, then the person is not actively listening to the in-person conversation that is also taking place. People who have common sense usually have a hard time understanding the behaviors of those who have zero common sense.
Kamryn Idol is a writer with a bachelor's degree in media and journalism who covers lifestyle, relationship, family, and wellness topics.
