When Confronted with An Explanation that is Based on Mathematics

[adios]

First off I'm not a mathematics expert especially when compared to many on this site. However, I know that many, many real world situations and phenomona can be modeled mathematically. I'm fairly certain that most people eschew explanations that are based on mathematical models. I'm not sure why this is. I was explaining some basic portfolio theory concepts mentioning mathematical concepts the other day and the reaction I got was a typical one. It went something like, " I don't know about the math you're mentioning but common sense tells me this ..." in a slightly condescending way. I wasn't offended at all but I wonder why people seem to believe that their common sense is a superior way to analyze complex problems. Of course my viewpoint is subjective so maybe others don't agree but that's my take. I suppose the short answer is that mathematics is an abstract, difficult subjet but what I was referring to wasn't sophisticated mathematics at all and in fact I would expect anyone who had a grasp of high school math to understand. I guess what I'm saying is that I've found that even explanations that are based on relatively unsophisticated mathematical concepts are eschewed. I'm not complaining I'm just curious if anyone else shares my viewpoint and has some insight.