New research from leading UK breakdown cover provider Green Flag reveals that low levels of common sense can prove detrimental to a person’s work and love life
- 79 percent of Brits value common sense over a high IQ, while 70 percent believe having common sense is more important than having a degree
- 69 percent of Brits wouldn’t hire someone who didn’t have common sense, and a fifth of workers say up to four hours of their working week is disrupted by mistakes made by colleagues with a lack of common sense
- 48 percent of Brits wouldn’t date someone who lacked common sense, and 20 percent have dumped a romantic partner due to their lack of common sense
- Green Flag is the common sense solution to breakdown cover. To find out more visit www.greenflag.com
New research* by leading UK breakdown provider Green Flag reveals that those who lack common sense could struggle in daily life, including being held back in the workplace and experiencing difficulty in finding romantic partners.
The results reveal that a staggering 79 percent of people value common sense more highly that having a high IQ, and a further 70 percent think common sense is more important than whether or not a person has a university degree.
More than two-thirds of Brits (69 percent) wouldn’t hire someone who lacked common sense and an additional 63 percent of people wouldn’t do business with someone who didn’t have any common sense. It seems a lack of common sense is impacting workers day-to-day, as 30 percent of Brits admitted to having witnessed a colleague being held back at work due to their lack of common sense, and a fifth (20 percent) say up to four hours of their working week is lost due to mistakes made by colleagues’ lack of common sense.
Lacking common sense could also have disastrous consequences on a person’s personal life, as the research showed that 50 percent of UK citizens wouldn’t trust someone who they deemed to lack common sense.
Over two thirds (68 percent) of Brits believe common sense is more important in a potential partner than good looks, showing that we value brains over brawn in 2018. Over half of Brits (48 percent) wouldn’t date someone who didn’t have much common sense, and one in five (20 percent) of Brits have previously called time on a relationship due to their partner’s lack of common sense.
While lacking common sense could cause chaos in everyday life, those deemed to have lots of sense are thought to exceed in life. Just under two thirds (64 percent) of Brits think those with common sense would have a good job, while an additional 80 percent expect people with common sense to be good with money and 58 percent of UK citizens believe people with common sense are ahead of the trend.
Denise Taylor, Chartered Psychologist, commented: “Common sense is a form of practical decision-making that gives us the ability to imagine the consequences of our actions. It stops us making irrational mistakes, and makes it easier to make sound choices. At work, individuals tend to want to work alongside people who display common sense as it makes life easier; they share a common view on what needs to get done, appreciate the needs of the team and will properly complete a task and meet their deadlines. If someone lacks in common sense it can often mean that we need to manage them more closely and this scuppers their chance of promotion.
“When it comes to romantic relationships if our partner doesn’t have common sense it can make us feel like their parent if we’re constantly having to remind them to do things that most people would do with ease – like the bins out, lock the door, or turn the oven off. We can teach people to have common sense, but it can be an uphill struggle.”
Candace Gerlach, Spokesperson for Green Flag, commented: “It’s clear from our research that common sense is something that impacts the decisions people make both in work and at home. At Green Flag, we believe that common sense is important, which is why it’s a key factor in everything we do. We’ve built our offering around common sense – by using a smart network of garages to offer the same service as our competitors, at half the price.”