Why do people answer when they have no idea?

they are just collecting points or something...

i've seen some pretty dumb answers in my day. they shouldn't even bother! or maybe they just honestly don't know they are THAT dumb!

Why do they answer? Here are some possible reasons - but every person is unique.

a) they are tying to rack up Yahoo! Answer points

b) they are trying to be helpful (I've been to places where if you ask anybody on the street for directions they will tell you where to go - even if they don't know. They are trying to be helpful and courteous.)

c) they actually think they have something useful to say (and are unaware of their ignorance)

d) nobody ever listens to them and they love the chance to be heard - finally. Sometimes they are full of bitterness and venom so that's wehat we get.

Sometimes these same people are so unhappy inside that they say things in Yahoo!Answers that they would not dare to say in person - but they like the illusion of power they get when they can be cold-hearted, bigoted smart-alex.

Remember - when the pigeon poops on your car, it's not mad at you - it's simply being a pigeon. Likewise, many of these people who answer are simply being.....pigeons.

They either:

A) Want their 2 points.

B) Really think they are being helpful. In some cases, they just do not fully understand the question being asked. It's a common mistake on the Internet, so it's not fair to be harsh.

C) They just like seeing their own typing.

Because the want those sweet Yahoo! Answers points.

I have no idea! Just kidding. It can be either because they wanna earn points, or because they are bored and have nothing to do or even because they think they know the answer!

I believe they do that because they want to earn those points and level up. Or there could be a possibility that they might just be bored and want to sound smart. :)

I think people do it for the points. Some people are more concerned with boosting their answer points than really contributing something worth while.

Don't get me started!

Lets just say its somewhere between wanting to feel important and basic maliciousness.

some people just want two points, some just have fun answering something silly... i don't think they are trying to bug anyone...well, some are.

To earn points, bored, wanting to get attention, and/or to be annoying.