Published on 12, July, 2020
What do you think about the "How are you?" question?
I, personally, do not like this question and I have never liked it.
I do not know what to answer.
Also, a lot of the time, I think it is expected just to give a positive answer, but I often feel awful to say "Fine!" simply to be polite if I am not fine.
Most people around here, where I live, tend to say "What like?" but neither version expects an actual answer beyond "Fine, and you?" or similar. I don't mind that too much, it's just boringly, predictably, useless small-talk.
What's more difficult, for me, is "How's the family?" where it's stiff and unnatural to say "Everyone's fine thanks, and yours?" because it's expected that I'll say a brief note about at least one or two of them and then ask after their family BY NAME!!! I can never remember people's names, I often don't even remember the name of the person who's asking let alone what family (wife? kids? ????) they actually have!! It's just painful and I try to avoid that one at all costs.