I agree with a lot of what's been said here. It's become more of a conversational piece than a genuine inquiry. Sometimes people just don't know what else to say to each other. I think there's a lot of reasons for this. Politeness is part of it; technology (in my opinion) is another. There are probably many others. And yeah, most people probably don't want to know 'exactly' how we feel when they ask, or aren't really thinking about the implications of the question they are asking. I usually say 'fine' if it's someone I don't know that well. But I have been known to be entirely honest because that's the kind of person I am. I like to believe that it's possible to live in a more genuine world, that we don't have to pretend all the time to be something we're not and that all colors of the spectrum are welcome.