We use critical thinking skills more often than you may realize. As you come into contact with people and information, you will automatically scrutinize it to some degree. It might be a little because you’re used to trusting that source of information, so you don’t feel the need to. Or, it may be a lot, because you’re aware this is a new person or information that needs due consideration.
However, people with weak critical thinking skills often find themselves in worse positions due to their limited skills. They don’t necessarily evaluate people, information, or situations with the appropriate level of deserved scrutiny. As a result, they may fall into the following traps.
1. Falling for misinformation.
As the American Psychological Association points out, misinformation is rampant on the internet and in everyday life. Everyone is working some kind of agenda, whether it’s politically motivated or they just want to get you to buy something. They always have an angle, and you need to be wary about what angle it is they are trying to work. But how do you do that?
Well, the main question you want to be asking is, “What do they stand to gain?” In most cases, what you want to look for is them asking you for something – a signature for a petition, a sale, or some other commitment that you have to make.
Strong emotions are an indicator that something may be amiss. People use emotional leverage as manipulation, so if you find that you feel strongly about something you’re reading or hearing, you have to stop and ask why. Not only that, but pay attention and see if they ask for something in the course of your interaction.
2. Struggling to make small decisions.
Small decisions may feel overwhelming because you may not know how to weigh pros and cons effectively. As a result, you can’t quickly draw up those lists in your head to help you make the right decision. That could be for any number of reasons. It may be that you just didn’t develop those skills. Then there are things like neurodivergence and some mental health issues that can make it really hard to conceptualize abstract concepts.
For example, some autistic people may struggle with abstract thinking, and their attention to detail can make decision-making overwhelming. And anxiety can cause you to focus on all of the much smaller things that just don’t matter, and second-guess yourself. Depression can impair cognitive abilities, making it harder to meaningfully evaluate the information you have at hand. And then, of course, you have stress, which can cause you to be more easily overwhelmed, making it much harder to sort through information.
As the small decisions pile up, it can get worse and worse until you’re doing things like just skipping meals instead of choosing something to eat, or agreeing to something you don’t feel good about because you just don’t want to argue.
3. Being easily influenced by others.
The end of another’s influence tends to stop when you start asking questions. That is, “Hey, why are you telling me this?” What is the end goal? But some people just don’t have the skepticism about them that would cause them to question others’ actions appropriately.
Because of that, they may choose to forego critical thinking altogether and rely on “trusted” sources. By trusted, we mean a source that they feel is trustworthy, not that they have critically evaluated. They tend to rely more on their feelings because they don’t have the skill set or motivation to learn appropriate critical thinking.
As Psychology Today shares, these are people who will buy into things like gurus, talk radio, authorities, family, or other influential people. Instead of analyzing the information, they just accept it as fact because they’ve decided that this particular vector of information is reliable and trustworthy.
They will then often repeat that information because they believe it to be the truth, whether it is or not. And that’s how misinformation spreads!
4. Mismanaging time and priorities.
One needs critical thinking skills to evaluate what matters most. A person with weak critical thinking skills may find that they don’t manage their time well because they can’t accurately tell what is and is not important.
Instead, they may focus on peripheral things or create new tasks that feel as important.
They may procrastinate, overcommit, or waste energy on tasks that don’t actually move them forward. It could also be that they get stuck in analysis paralysis because they’re trying to make critical evaluations, but just don’t know how, so they’re stuck going round in circles.
5. Difficulty solving everyday problems.
Each day is packed with numerous decisions that we have to make. People with weak critical thinking skills may struggle to find solutions to everyday problems like a scheduling conflict, a technical glitch, or a late bill. Instead of analyzing the issue step-by-step or reverse-engineering a solution, they may freeze, panic, or just give up without ever trying.
That leads to even more complications and decisions they need to make because now they have to deal with all these new problems. It’s a vicious cycle that can spin quickly out of control for the person.
6. Overreacting emotionally.
A lack of critical evaluation may cause a person to respond impulsively and emotionally to stress, conflicts, problems, and setbacks. Because they are so accustomed to decision-making from an emotional place, that is what they jump to instead of pausing to really consider the situation.
For years, I would jump to angry conclusions because I felt it was the best way to defend myself against manipulative people. I’m on the autistic spectrum, and I wasn’t good at understanding people, but I was smart enough to eventually figure out when I got played or conned. Rather than reevaluating, I would just fire anger at people I thought were trying to manipulate me.
That caused people to think that I was just an angry, angry person. In reality, I was just an autistic person struggling with the fact that I didn’t know how to interpret people at the time. I had the problem-solving skills I needed, but I just couldn’t figure out how to apply them to socialization without the help of a therapist.
7. Making poor financial choices.
Weak critical thinking often leads to money problems because the person doesn’t question or evaluate the risks, terms, and long-term consequences of their actions appropriately. They are likely easily persuaded into buying things they don’t need, overpaying, or otherwise falling for scams.
Scammers rely on exploiting weak critical thinking skills, emotions, and vulnerability to ply their trade. They know that people with poor critical thinking skills are going to be more prone to making bad decisions, so they try to land their bait near those people to hook them in on a scam.
It’s not always a scam, though. It could also be a perfectly legitimate business, but not done well. For example, just because you can qualify for a new car at a 24.9% interest rate doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to buy one. In fact, it’s a terrible idea, because that’s a terrible rate.
8. Struggling in conversations.
A conversation is just a series of spoken decisions back and forth. As you get new information, you’re evaluating it before you make a reply, then you make your reply. People with weaker critical thinking skills may struggle with this kind of back and forth.
They may struggle with thinking about things on the spot or coming back with a witty reply. Their answers may not make sense, coming from a more emotional than rational place, because they lack the necessary skills. They may also be more prone to getting angry or irritable because they may feel as though they can’t keep up in the conversation.
Final thoughts…
We use critical thinking skills every day, whether we realize it or not. The ability to meaningfully evaluate information to make critical decisions and think for yourself can be the difference between order and chaos. It’s a difference between things being well thought out, considered, and implemented versus just making it up as you go along.
The good news is that you can improve and develop critical thinking skills, and you should. Not only will it help in your everyday life, but it will also keep you from falling prey to the people who would use your lack of discernment against you.
