I've actually read a fair bit of stuff relating to this, and the answer is that it's a combination of several factors.
First of all, men are socialised to be confident and self-assured, and to stand up for themselves. Therefore, they are more likely to answer questions with certainty (i.e. either 'yes' or 'no'). Women, on the other hand, are socialised to be quiet and to second-guess themselves at every turn, and so are considerably less likely to answer questions with certainty.
The second, much more sinister factor, is that women are taught not to trust their own emotions, ever. Whenever a woman is justifiably angry or upset, men will frequently blame it on her period or hormones, and refuse to take her seriously. In fact, whenever she shows basically any emotion that men don't like, she's likely to be either dismissed outright or met with anger or even violence. When you're told day in, day out, that you're inferior and your thoughts aren't as important as men's, that's going to reflect in how you talk to others. Even if she does want to say 'no' or 'yes' outright, those years of socialisation means that she is unlikely to actually do that for fear of further misogyny.
Where do trans people fit into this? Well, it varies a lot. Some internalise the values entirely of their own gender, others mostly of their birth assignment, some a mix of both.
But long story short, it's not 'an annoying habit' - it's the culmination of a deeply misogynistic society that socialises women into that form of response.
