The Power of NO!

In our society the default answer to nearly every question is “Yes.” Advertising is all geared towards getting us to say “Yes — I need that.” We phrase our inquiries looking for yes: “Would you like more coffee?” “Would you be interested in joining me for dinner?” “Would you help me move next week?” “Would you mind if I asked you a personal question?” “Do you love me?” With such a powerful default answer ingrained in us it can be very difficult to say…