Good Judgment Is a Skill Anyone Can Build

Here is something reassuring to hear: good judgment is not something you are born with. It is a skill. And that means you can get better at it, no matter where you are starting from.

Cathy Garrard teaches fact-checking and media literacy at the college level. She says that in a world full of social media opinions, AI-generated images, and round-the-clock information overload, knowing how to make sound decisions matters more than ever. The good news, she writes in Reader’s Digest, is that strong decision-making can absolutely be learned.

Here are four science-backed ways to sharpen your judgment, straight from her work with students.

Slow Down Before You Decide

This one is called cognitive reflection, a fancy way of saying pause and think. A recent paper in the Journal of Business and Psychology found that people with stronger cognitive reflection skills make better decisions. Taking that beat helps filter out weak evidence before you act on it.

So before you buy a supplement you saw advertised online, wire money to someone you only know from the internet, or download an app that seems a little off, stop. Give yourself time. Not every online interaction is with someone who has your best interest at heart.

Build Your Common Sense

Some people do seem to make better instinctive calls than others. But research from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania shows that common sense can also be developed. The key ingredient? Social perceptiveness, your ability to read people and situations.

You can sharpen this by reflecting on your own emotions, practicing active listening, and working on patience. These habits help your brain get better at reading the room, which in turn helps you evaluate information more effectively.

Look Back at Your Own Choices

Experience really does teach. A study in the journal Judgment and Decision Making found that people who took time to analyze past problems, who looked at what they decided, what worked, and what did not, improved their decision-making skills over time.

And here is the part worth underlining: this effect was strongest in people who had previously made bad decisions. In other words, our mistakes may be our best teachers. That is a generous trade.

Watch How Others Handle Things

You do not have to make every mistake yourself to learn from it. A study from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University found that watching how other people make decisions can help reduce your own biases and improve your judgment. When you spot a flaw in someone else’s reasoning, it helps you recognize and avoid the same pattern in yourself.

So pay attention to the people around you. Notice what leads to good outcomes and what does not. You can gain a great deal of wisdom without paying the full price for it.