Phrases like these hold no actual, productive value. These phrases can actually be counterproductive and shouldn't be used anymore. If you meet someone for the first time and they ask "how are you?" what would the appropriate response be? Someone who is distraught won't want to tell that person all their problems because it would overwhelm them. If you say "bad" they will act like they care and ask you why when they really don't and now you're awkwardly discussing your problems with someone you barely know. The appropriate and expected response is "good, how about you?" You get these formalities out of the way and then discuss what you guys are meant to talk about. In the end, these phrases are useless and make things more complicated than they have to be. If someone is hearing that for the first time and they think the person is genuinely asking how they are, and they tell the person how they are, the person asking isn't expecting tha...