When people ask "how are you" the proper response is always "fine"

[NightWatcher]

They dont really want to know how you are, they hope that you are getting along well and they want that to be your answer to them. So even if you are not getting along well, at least tell them you are so you dont ruin their day too.

[Warpy]

1. For me, it's <<comme ci, comme ca>>

which says it like I feel it and flummoxes the local Spanish speaking folks.

They take it as a "fine" and I don't have to lie.

[dcfibro]

11. I like this one

and will give it a try. I also would say "fine" bcuz people get that look if I even hint at any pain or discomfort. Yet if they hear later about my being at the hospital or my kids mention some appt/treatment or another they ask, "why didn't you say something?" Whatever.

[Warpy]

13. Welcome to DU

I was an RN in an intense heart unit and I took a look around. My coworkers were also the walking wounded and represented a wide range of diseases from cancer to MS to AIDS. Two of my bosses had lupus and we spent evaluation time comparing our drugs.

You just never quite realize what other people are dealing with sometimes. Life is tough, even if you're one of those infuriating people who is never sick.

However, on those occasions when you're sick of lying and want to be non committal, you might as well do it in French. The pronunciation is close to "comb see, comb saw" if you didn't suffer through as many years of it as I did.

[mopinko]

2. ok, how are you?

works.

[mrf901]

3. all my biorhythms are down today

sorry that I am not perkier

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. I always say "okay"...

even though it's really not the truth.

[Irishonly]

5. Exactly

I learned this lesson many years ago while I was in cancer treatment. The treatment was the start of much of what ails me now. No one really wanted to hear how awful I felt. They wanted to hear I was beating back the cancer.

[LiberalAndProud]

6. My mother takes advantage of telemarketers who ask that question.

She tells them, in great detail, how she is. She's over 80, so the list of complaints is long. It tends to derail the sales pitch. Otherwise, her answer is usually, "I'm well, all things considered."

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Sorry, I Don't Agree

When i hobbling at work, my answer is going to be "Rough One Today". No great deal, but i'm not going to say fine, if i'm not fine.

[Kennah]

8. At work, even when people, "How's it going?", which is tacitly work related ...

... they still want to hear "fine", "good", "OK", and the like. I have stopped telling them what they want to hear, and I generally retort, "You don't wanna know" or "Do you REALLY want to know?"

On the OP, sometimes I say "good" or "fine", but now I am inspired to say, "Good, but I expect my illusions to collapse before lunch."

[libodem]

9. You can see their eyes glaze over

And the automatic head bobbing begin. It's boring for other people to listen to our accounts of pain. In fact there was a recent report about backpain being worse in wives when the husband was around. I don't know if it is a sympathy factor or what?

I'm always a little self hypnotized, to just ignore the sensations and not worry about it. The fear factor makes my discomfort more intense. I lie all the time and just say fine or as well as can be expected.

[Kalidurga]

10. Are you sure it wasn't neck pain?

J/K there was a study on wives that have husbands who are sick/in pain and they did indeed have sympathy pain. Men can get some sympathy symptoms also most notably when their wives are pregnant.

[Autumn]

12. I just say, none of your fucking business.

unless it's family, then I tell them well I woke up this morning so I must be fine.

[cali]

14. for me the "proper' response is a cheerful: "I'm hanging in there" followed swiflty

by "how are you?". it's the truth, even when I'm in bad pain and the follow up "how are you?" swiftly takes the focus off me- plus many people like talking about themselves.

[hedgehog]

15. We tell our friends all our troubles, and our doctors that

we're fine!

[EEO]

16. Agreed.

My mother is in complete denial of my health and I believe so are some of my closest friends. They do not understand.

[lululu]

17. especially odd when

the person asking is the one taking you back to see the doctor. They don't want to know, but why the heck are you there if you're not fine! so i just lie and say Fine, with more cognitive dissonance than usual.

[KC]

18. I'm not sure if

anyone has done this but I get so tired of saying" fine "and their response is "that's great." Several times when someone says "how are you doing?" I've said "terrible" and their response has been the same, "that's great!"
It just shows me they don't listen or really care.

[reflection]

19. You're right. It's usually filler conversation.

Sometimes I say "I woke up, everything else is a bonus."

[freebrew]

20. Proper reply: "tolerable"...nt

[brewens]

21. I always say, "I don't care." That gets me a lot of chuckles. Many know not to say that as a

greeting to me anymore.