impressed
haikujaguar has posted an insightful analysis of the proper use of "How are you?" as a greeting exchange. This includes an explanation of its purpose (summarizing both people's emotional/physical state prior to conversation) and some pitfalls to avoid. This is extraordinarily useful information that could improve the quality of conversation on a wide scale. Go read it and put it into use:http://haikujaguar.livejournal.com/412706.html
Some brief additional observations:
1) Usage varies somewhat by region. Differences in expectations of people from different regions can cause misunderstandings.
2) "I'm fine" is still a useful standard response for indicating neutral-to-positive status. It works, so doesn't need to be changed.
3) Beginning each conversation with a brief exchange of people's emotional/physical state is a good way to avoid a great deal of stress, because it allows participants to fine-tune how they say things based on clues to what the other person is currently up to handling. It's easier to celebrate the highs and sympathize with the lows when you know, going in, roughly where on the emotional thermocline someone is.
