"Disturbingly, "how are you?" is one of those phrases. "

...yeah, but it gets worse..they don't even say THAT much...they say 'howyadoin?'...I sometimes listen to radio talk shows on NPR, and there are people who simple cannot begin a conversation unless they mouth that first!...even if the last 6 callers have asked the same question, and the host has said 'fine'....I'm waiting for the host to say, "I was JUST fine the last time someone asked, 2 minutes ago, and I am STILL fine...now ask yer damn question"

It's so bad there's even a commercial with this Texan in a bar telling everyone exactly how he's 'doin'..*grin*...

So, yes, one does begin to suspect that people are speaking in a lot of rote phrases, and not thinking about what they are doing...(and I put a lot of the 'hooray for America' signs since 9/11 in that category.)

Offers of Prayer may be, in fact, the closest to serious some folks get.