Hi Nie!

I've been thinking a lot about how imprecise "yes" and "no" answers can be, especially with big questions like "Should I be worried about this?" or "Are we going to get through this?" We naturally want a simple answer, but bigger questions usually have the least simple answers.

Here's an example of a situation I think we're all hoping to experience again soon:

FRIEND: "Do you think we'll make it to the movie in time for the previews?"
ME: "Yes."

Here's how yes and no translate to numbers:

Yes | 51–100%
No | 0–49%

My friend asked me a yes-or-no question, and my response was "Yes.", which is a direct answer to the question, but it could mean a wide range of things. I could be saying, "We'll definitely be there for the previews!" or I could be saying, "I think it's more likely than not that we will be there for the previews."

Although there are only two direct answers, each answer can mean many things, which means "yes" and "no" are actually pretty vague answers.

I think we all intuitively sense this, and that's why most of us wouldn't just say "yes" or "no" to that question.

If a friend asked me the question above I might respond with "Probably!" or "Probably not." or "I think so!" or "I doubt it." or something like that.

Although those answers are still one word or just a few words, they convey a lot more meaning.

Those answers encapsulate two ideas:

• Whether I think we'll be there in time for the previews
• How confident I am in my answer

Here's what I mean...

Question: "Are we going to make it to the movie in time for the previews?"

Answers:

A hundred percent! | 100%
I'm pretty sure! | 80%
Probably! | 75%
Probably. | 65%
I think so! | 60%
I think so. | 55%
I think so? | 51%
Maybe. | 50%
I don't think so? | 49%
I doubt it. | 45%
Probably not. | 35%
I doubt it! | 25%
I don't think so! | 20%
No way, LOL | 0%

And of course those interpretations will vary by person, culture, and many other factors.

It's also interesting how the punctuation—how emphatically we give our answer—can make a difference. "I don't think so!" (with an exclamation point) seems more pessimistic than "I don't think so." (with a period).

Interestingly, I struggled to come up with "yes" answers for the range between 80% and 100%, and "no" answers for the range between 0% and 20%. Maybe my vocabulary just isn't strong enough, but it seems like that's sort of a gap in the English language.

And of course the most accurate answer and the answer which many people are reluctant to give is often "I don't know."

It's fascinating how many things we can say with so few words.

All the best

Josh

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