Proper polite response to "How are you doing?" [duplicate]

Solution 1:

The greeting 'How are you?' and its variants ('How are you doing?', 'What's up?', etc) sorta mean something and sorta don't.

The best response is somewhat empty, 'good' or 'fine' or 'OK', and to reciprocate expecting the same or similar. One can be clever and add depth, but to actually respond literally is often not expected. If you just got run over by a car, then you would probably want to answer somewhat relevantly, e.g. 'not so great' or ' as a matter of fact I just got hit by a car'.

But beyond that, no one really wants to know any details or even if things aren't so great. You should always reciprocate. But it's not truly genuine (though some askers and some answerers may treat it that way).

For someone you don't know or an acquaintance or in a client relationship (like a cashier), it is purely an empty form of politeness; it'd be totally inappropriate to attempt to answer meaningfully. But for someone closer, it could be taken as a conversation starter.