When someone says "How are you" they are not interested in how you are, it's establishing a carrier wave for conversation. Person A: Hi Person B: Hi, How are y

When someone says "How are you" they are not interested in how you are, it's establishing a carrier wave for conversation. Person A: Hi Person B: Hi, How are you? Person A: Good thanks SYN SYN-ACK ACK There's always a starting sentence to conversation, especially on telephones, that establishes volume, and makes sure there's no transmission errors (you can hear each other clearly, are speaking the same language, etc)