Does "I'll think about it" always mean "no"?

[Anonymous]

WDYT?

[Anonymous]

Not really. Not certain =\= no.

[Anonymous]

No. It means I'll think about it. If I say it I actually thinks its more likely that I'll say yes.

[Anonymous]

Nope. Sometimes with my daughter it means "yes, with these conditions." Sometimes it means "I need to check with my mom friends if they're letting their similarly aged daughters do/wear this."

[Anonymous]

Depends on the situation. When those people knock on your door with Watchtower magazine and ask to join you in prayer and you say, "I'll think about it", you mean, "no." When your hair stylist wants you to try going blonde you say, "I'll think about it" but you mean "no." When your dh wants to do you in the back door you say, "no" and you mean, "no."

[Anonymous]

For me it might mean no but I can’t think of a polite excuse so I need time to think of one. It could also mean I want to say yes but don’t want to commit until I’m completely sure I can follow through.

[Anonymous]

No. When I use it I really mean that I need time to consider it. And like another pp, it's more likely that I will come back with a yes.

[Anonymous]

My husband and I had this exact conversation last week. Whenever our parents said "I'll think about it." It meant no. I try to be aware of it with our DD. If I clearly know I'm gonna say no I dont say "I'll think about it." I just say no. I always hated it when my parents said they would think about it and the answer was always no. It got my hopes up and like an idiot I thought there was a chance, when really there was no chance.

[Anonymous]

It’s also sometimes code for “I need to ask your dad or dcum.”

[Anonymous]

It might be a soft no, but it might also be that I genuinely need to think about it before making a decision, or I want to check on my other commitments or do some research or talk it over with my spouse, etc.

[Anonymous]

No.

If I say I'll think about it I might mean just that. Or I might be leaning towards no but I need to find a way to say that. Or it might mean that I'm having a knee jerk reaction to something that I might handle differently when I'm calmer so I need to buy time.

Depends hugely on the context.

[Anonymous]

For me, it usually means that I am currently ill-equipped to give a straight answer.

It means I need some time to think it over vs. giving you an answer w/out flaking on you later on.

Sometimes it DOES mean no & I just use it as a shield to cover my butt.

[Anonymous]

For me, yes....100% of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me, yes....100% of the time.

Same here. I'm too much of a chicken to tell people "no" so I overuse the "I'll think about it", but I don't ever do that with my kids or dh. I'm open and honest with them. With randoms, I'm not so honest, but I try to be good natured when I say "I'll think about it." I kind of sing it out like an idiot, but at least it's not a mean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For me, yes....100% of the time.

Same here. I'm too much of a chicken to tell people "no" so I overuse the "I'll think about it", but I don't ever do that with my kids or dh. I'm open and honest with them. With randoms, I'm not so honest, but I try to be good natured when I say "I'll think about it." I kind of sing it out like an idiot, but at least it's not a mean.

Actually it IS mean. You're stringing them along and wasting their time. In some cases, time costs money. Just grab your balls and say no.