Honestly, I was totally on your side for the longest time. I used to find the whole "how are you" thing so annoying and fake (like, we both know you don't want the real answer). But I've kinda come around to seeing it as just a soft start. It's a low-pressure way to say "I see you" without demanding a deep story. Sometimes a person just isn't up for a specific question, you know? This lets them give the easy "good" and move on, or actually open up if they want to.