do you really not know?

i've been having conversations with an old friend, and have been noticing how many times that phrase comes up in conversation. you ever notice that when people say "i don't know" that most of the time they DO know, but just don't want to admit that they know because they are afraid of what the answer is? or they are afraid of what the consequences are for the decision they just made? some people use it as conversation filler. the same way they would use "umm..." or "like." sometimes it's easier to handle the consequences of an "i don't know" than of a definite answer. but sometimes the outcome of a definite answer is better than the outcome of an "i don't know." i don't know.