“In most collectivist cultures, direct confrontation of another person is considered rude and undesirable. The word no is seldom used, because saying “no” is a confrontation; “you may be right” and “we will think about it” are examples of polite ways of turning down a request. In the same vein, the word yes should not necessarily be inferred as an approval, since it is used to maintain the line of communication: “yes, I heard you” is the meaning it has in Japan.”

—  Geert Hofstede

Source: Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, 1990, p. 106.

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Geert Hofstede 11
Dutch psychologist 1928

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