How are you??

When someone asks “How are you?” I could actually tell them, instead of saying “fine” or temporizing. I could immediately say “Oh, been better” or “Up and down” or even “Not so great.” And certainly that would result in some people changing the subject or shifting away; but with other people, it would give them a hint that I do want to talk about things.

Also, if they do try to express sympathy, I could be aware that they’re probably at a loss for what to say or how to say it. We humans ain’t generally so good at talking about things like loss, grief, and bereavement. I know that when I’m faced with a friend who’s going through such things, I often don’t know what to say.

When I ask someone "How's everything going?" I .....

Votes Answer
21 really do care and am open to any response I get.
12 am just being polite and expect them to respond "Fine".
9 Other
5 I don't ever ask anyone this question.
4 get upset and angry internally if the person starts telling me their problems.
0 get visibly upset and look for ways to cut the other person off.

Maybe we all need to learn how to be nice