The Three Hardest Words in the English Language - Freakonomics Radio

We're humans. We don't know everything. When is the last time you gave an answer to someone when really, you didn't know the answer? People do this all the time. This episode of Freakonomics Radio looks at the three hardest words to say: I don't know.

Stephen Dubner, the host of Freakonomics regularly gives speeches to various companies. He often sees that when a subordinate is asked a question by their boss, the employee will always give an answer, even if they have no idea what they're talking about. Why can't the person just admit they don't have the answer?

"MBA's are incredibly good at faking the answers when they don't know. But that's so counterproductive" - Steve Levitt, Prof. of Economics, University of Chicago

To find out, Dubner sought the expertise of Amanda Waterman, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Leeds. She conducted studies with children on the subject of the episode. She asked children questions that the only logical answer is "I don't know." Such questions included "Is red heavier than blue?" and "What do feet eat for breakfast?" Three-fourths of the children responded to the question, even though there was no answer.

There is an impulse for children to answer because of pressure in the academic setting. When a teacher poses a question, they want to seem smart so their peers and the teacher respect them more. This transfers into the workplace. Adults answer to their boss so they leave a better impression. In the same study, 25 percent of adults answered the questions when the right answer is "I don't know." The hosts say that we give firm answers to questions we don't know all the time.

Marketers and businessmen sometimes admit to not knowing when they should. For example, professor of economics and co-host Steve Levitt found that companies that need to conduct tests on their products or its advertising have trouble doing this. That is because the first step in conducting an experiment is admitting that they don't know the answer to something.

The hosts of the show urge us to start to create a culture where saying "I don't know" is okay to do. If we answer when we don't know the answer, we never learn. Admitting we have no idea about something is the first step into learning for ourselves, which makes things more productive for society overall.

The next time you are asked a question you don't know the answer to, what will you do?