Yes or No Generator

What this does

So you have a question with two answers and you just cannot pick. This gives you a yes or a no. Think of your question, tap Generate, and it answers. There is no box to type anything into, you keep the question in your head, which also means nothing you are deciding ever leaves your screen. It is about the simplest decision maker there is.

How to use it

1. Think of a yes or no question.
2. Tap Generate.
3. Read the answer, Yes or No.

Tap again if you want another go, though one of the nicer things here is committing to the first answer.

How it works

It uses your browser's random generator, Math.random, to land on Yes or No with an even chance each. No memory, no pattern, just a clean coin flip between two words. All of it runs on your device, and since there is no input, there is genuinely nothing to send or store.

Honest footnote, Math.random is pseudo random and not for security, but for making a simple choice it is perfectly even.

Can a yes or no really help you decide?

You might think handing a decision to chance is a bad idea. There is actually some lovely research that says otherwise, for the right kind of decision. The economist Steven Levitt ran a study where more than 20,000 people flipped a virtual coin to settle decisions they were stuck on, things like whether to quit a job or end a relationship. He followed up months later. The people who were nudged toward making a change, and went through with it, reported being happier six months on than the people who stayed put.

The point is not that the coin knows best. It is two things. First, the moment you see the answer, your gut reaction tells you what you were really hoping for, and that is worth listening to. Second, the research suggests most of us are too cautious about change, so when you are genuinely on the fence, leaning toward yes is often the better bet. Use this freely for the small stuff, and for the big stuff, let it surface your gut, then decide with your eyes open.

What people use it for

It is great for the dozens of tiny choices that clog up a day, should I get the coffee, should I text first, should I take the long way home. It breaks ties when two options are equally fine, settles friendly debates, and adds a bit of chance to games. For anything that genuinely matters, treat it as a nudge and a mirror, not the final word.

Questions people ask

References

1. Levitt, S. D. Heads or Tails: The Impact of a Coin Toss on Major Life Decisions and Subsequent Happiness. https://www.nber.org/papers/w22487
2. MDN Web Docs. Math.random(). https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Math/random