You’re at a family dinner and the conversation suddenly turns… strange.
Your uncle is loudly explaining that “science has already proved everything,” your cousin keeps repeating “that’s just how people are,” and someone drops a “smart people always overthink.”
Nobody is really asking questions. Nobody is really listening either.
The room feels full of words, but strangely empty of thought.
Psychologists say that certain everyday phrases aren’t just random habits. They can quietly reveal how rigid, shallow, or closed a person’s thinking has become.
And once you start hearing them, you can’t un-hear them.
Why certain phrases can signal low cognitive flexibility
Walk into any office kitchen or crowded subway and you’ll hear the same tiny script playing on repeat.
Phrases like “That’s just common sense” or “It’s always been like that” bounce around like background noise.
They sound harmless.
Yet for psychologists who study reasoning, those phrases are small red flags of a mind that doesn’t like to stretch.
Not a measure of school grades, but of how willing someone is to question themselves, update their views, or process nuance.
People with low cognitive flexibility often lean on ready-made sentences.
They don’t want to dig deeper, so the phrase becomes a shield.
Picture Mark, 38, in a meeting.
His team suggests testing a new marketing idea that came from recent user data. He shrugs, leans back in his chair and drops, “Look, if it worked before, why change it?”
Nobody pushes back. The project dies in ten minutes.
Weeks later, a competitor launches a similar concept and their sales jump.
The data was there. The opportunity was there.
Psychologists call this pattern “cognitive miserliness” — the habit of avoiding mental effort.
Instead of engaging System 2, the slower, analytical part of the brain, people default to ready-made phrases.
The words do the thinking, so they don’t have to.
That’s where IQ comes in, but not in the way people like to brag about.
Research shows that lower IQ scores often correlate with more black-and-white thinking, stronger stereotypes, and less tolerance for ambiguity.
So a certain kind of phrase becomes comforting.
“I already know that.”
“People are just stupid.”
“Things are simple, you’re complicating it.”
These phrases flatten reality into something that fits a narrow mental map.
They reduce anxiety, but they also reduce learning.
*The real problem isn’t the phrase itself, it’s the mindset that needs it so badly.*
7 everyday phrases that quietly reveal a rigid mind
Here’s where it gets uncomfortable.
Many of us use the exact sentences that psychology links with low reasoning effort, low openness, or plain lazy thinking.
Phrase 1: “That’s just how it is.”
This one kills any possibility of nuance. It shows up when a person doesn’t have an argument, so they hide behind fate or “reality.”
Researchers call this “closure seeking”: a rush to end the mental discomfort of not knowing.
Phrase 2: “Everyone knows that.”
Used as a weapon, this phrase shames curiosity and shuts down questions.
Instead of explaining, the speaker tries to dominate. That’s not intelligence. That’s insecurity dressed as certainty.
Phrase 3: “I’m just being honest.”
Psychologists often hear this right before something rude, simplistic, or aggressive.
It’s a way to dodge responsibility for the quality of your ideas.
Honesty is not a free pass for intellectual laziness.
Phrase 4: “Smart people overcomplicate everything.”
On the surface, it’s a joke. Underneath, it’s a defense.
It frames deep thinking as a flaw, so the speaker can feel superior for staying on the surface.
Low-IQ subjects in reasoning studies are statistically more drawn to “simple” explanations, even when they’re clearly wrong.
Let’s be honest: nobody really does this every single day, but we’ve all heard someone shrug off experts with, “They think too much.”
Phrase 5: “I don’t need proof, I just know.”
This is pure catnip for conspiracy thinking.
Psychologists link this attitude to a low tolerance for complexity and a high need for certainty.
Evidence is messy. Gut feeling is fast and flattering.
Phrase 6: “People are either smart or stupid.”
Black-and-white thinking at its finest.
The world becomes easier to navigate when everyone is sorted into rigid boxes.
Studies on reasoning show that low scorers on cognitive reflection tests tend to rely heavily on these all-or-nothing labels.
Phrase 7: “Thinking too much just gives you problems.”
On a bad day, that feels true. On most days, it’s a quiet refusal to grow.
This phrase confuses anxiety with reflection and mistakes comfort for wisdom.
Psychology sees it as a linguistic shortcut to staying exactly where you are.
How to respond without sounding like a snob
The tricky part: you probably know and love people who speak like this.
Calling them “low IQ” to their face is not only cruel, it’s useless.
A more helpful move is to gently stretch the conversation.
When someone says, **“That’s just how it is,”** you can ask, “Has it always been like that for you?”
Now it’s a story, not a wall.
When you hear “Everyone knows that,” try, “I actually don’t, can you walk me through it?”
You’re not attacking.
You’re inviting them into a deeper level of their own thought.
It’s easy to slip into intellectual arrogance.
You spot these phrases, you read about cognitive biases, and suddenly you feel like you’re on some higher floor of understanding.
That’s its own kind of stupidity.
Psychologists warn that high-IQ people can be incredibly biased, just in more sophisticated ways.
They defend their views with sharper arguments, but the same emotional needs are running the show.
So when someone says, **“I don’t need proof, I just know,”** you don’t have to turn into their teacher.
You can say, “Interesting, my brain works differently, I usually need at least one concrete example.”
You stand your ground without turning the conversation into a courtroom.
“Intelligence isn’t just about having answers.
It’s about how gently you can live with questions.”
- Phrase to notice: “That’s just how it is.”
Tiny mental shift: Ask for a story instead of an argument.
Benefit: You move the person from rigid belief to personal experience. - Phrase to notice: “Everyone knows that.”
Tiny mental shift: Play the honest beginner.
Benefit: You invite explanation instead of dominance. - Phrase to notice: “Thinking too much just gives you problems.”
Tiny mental shift: Separate overthinking from reflection.
Benefit: You protect depth without glorifying anxiety.
Rethinking “low IQ” when you hear these phrases
Once you tune your ear to these seven phrases, you start hearing them everywhere.
In your group chats. On TV panels. At your own dinner table.
The temptation is to mentally classify people: “smart”, “average”, “low IQ.”
Yet the same research that links these phrases to shallow thinking also shows something else.
Context shapes us. Stress, lack of sleep, fear, and social pressure all push us toward ready-made language.
You might score high on a test and still catch yourself saying, **“I just know.”**
On a rough day, that’s your brain begging for shortcuts.
The real question isn’t “Am I low IQ?”
It’s: am I willing to notice when my words are shrinking my world instead of expanding it?
| Key point | Detail | Value for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| Recognize red-flag phrases | “That’s just how it is”, “Everyone knows that”, “I don’t need proof, I just know” | Gives you a quick mental checklist during conversations |
| Focus on mindset, not labels | Low cognitive flexibility shows up in rigid, black-and-white language | Helps you understand behavior without instantly judging people |
| Use gentle questions | Turn walls (“That’s just how it is”) into stories (“Has it always been like that for you?”) | Makes your relationships deeper and your own thinking sharper |
FAQ:
- Is it fair to call these “low IQ” phrases?Psychologists prefer talking about cognitive style rather than insulting labels. These phrases often correlate with low reasoning effort and rigid thinking, but any person can use them under stress.
- Do smart people also say these things?Yes. High-IQ people aren’t immune to lazy language or bias. The difference is that they’re usually more capable of updating their views when challenged with solid evidence.
- Can I change my own way of speaking?Start by catching yourself in one phrase, not all seven. Replace “That’s just how it is” with “That’s how I see it so far.” Tiny edits slowly reshape your thinking.
- How do I correct someone without offending them?Ask curious questions instead of saying “you’re wrong.” Invite them to tell a story, share an example, or explain their reasoning. People open up more when they don’t feel attacked.
- Does using these phrases mean someone is unintelligent?No single phrase defines intelligence. They’re signs of mental habits, not fixed destiny. The real indicator is whether a person can move past them when offered new information.
