are you listening or just ask it to be polite while your mind goes to la la land.
2006-11-02 08:21:41 · 25 answers · asked by ........ 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Like most matters of etiquette, and most matters of life in general, it all depends on context. If I pass by an acquaintance at a bus stop and say "Hello, how are you?" it is part of a formulaic greeting. I expect to hear something in return along the lines of "Fine, thanks, and you?" If this person starts to give me a litany of their woes, I'm going to glance at my watch, and make an excuse to beat a retreat as soon as possible. Of course, I wasn't really paying attention. On the other hand, as I enter my good friend's hospital room and say, "How are you?" I'm genuinely interested and want to hear the details of his or her health. Of course, there is an entire spectrum in-between.
2006-11-02 08:30:29 · answer #1 · answered by Rico Toasterman JPA 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Polite
2006-11-02 16:23:21 · answer #2 · answered by jim 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
personally it depends sometimes polite sometimes ingrained consciousness sometimes i really givaf and want to know. the other times I'm sure is out of habit, and i don't think i go off into la-la land, i just tune out cause there comes a habitual response.
2006-11-03 17:42:39 · answer #3 · answered by DAWN M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I ask it because it's always the natural progression from greeting someone. I don't really care about the answer....but in saying that, if they said they were actually ten minutes away from dying, I'd care....but if they're droning on about their lives, I'm not really listening.
I think it's equally polite to say "fine" when someone asks you how you are, because logically you should know that no one really wants to know!
2006-11-02 16:24:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anon 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If I'm jsut walking by and see someone I know I just say hi. When I ask how they are I always listen to the answer.
2006-11-02 16:24:09 · answer #5 · answered by toff 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People ask how others are just out of habit. Many people don't really care. For instance, if someone were to ask me "hey how are you doing?" I would say, "I'm good." I wouldn't tell them, "My life sucks, I'm broke, my dog died, bla bla bla." It's just a form of being polite. Unless you are friends and that person truly wants to know how you're doing.
2006-11-02 16:24:57 · answer #6 · answered by Holly W 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If I just heard that someones dog died I would ask how are you with genuine feeling, or if they were ill or something. But just when like, you see an acquaintance, whom you know but not well. you do just ask to be polite and then go "ah great, well see you soon."
2006-11-03 10:04:34 · answer #7 · answered by floppity 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think for the most part people just do it to be polite, if someone answered and said how miserable their life was and yada yada yada it would probably cure them from stating that. Cause if you notice most people reply to that question, good or okay and you?
2006-11-02 16:24:55 · answer #8 · answered by Jason B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How are you to most is simply another way of saying hello.
The answer 9 times out of ten is OK - fine even if that person is not fine!
2006-11-03 01:16:26 · answer #9 · answered by edquest 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm just being polite unless I know they've had problems or health issues lately, then it's like "how ARE you?" and I listed intently to their answer...
2006-11-02 16:25:11 · answer #10 · answered by Kiki Joy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋