> at least where I live That is completely cultural. Many culture have different expectations. >People can find your (polite) honesty refreshing and warm. In

> at least where I live That is completely cultural. Many culture have different expectations. >People can find your (polite) honesty refreshing and warm. In many cultures, including large parts of the US, politeness is often valued more than honesty--polite lies in such cases are a required a social convention. In any culture there will be consequences to ignoring social convention. Perhaps you are willing to accept those consequences. Some people have the social capital to flaunt convention, and some people choose to live with the stigma, but there is a stigma. For example, if you were to answer "actually not that much" at my grandmother's house, you'd at a very minimum get a sideways glance from most people at the table.