Of course, there is a cultural bias to be recognized as well. In the country I currently live in, I notice that it is way more common to give a blunt "no" to so

Of course, there is a cultural bias to be recognized as well. In the country I currently live in, I notice that it is way more common to give a blunt "no" to some request than it would be in the states, where we would (at least on the surface) try to be more accommodating. Even if we don't want to say yes :)