Joey Tribbiani Does It Best
This might sound funny because as an American you have probably never thought of this until someone from another country pointed it out. We Americans say “how are you?” when we actually mean “hello”. In other words: it’s just a greeting. Even though “how are you?” sounds like a question, it really isn’t, and we don’t expect an answer. People from other countries are often confused about this.
When an American asks someone from another country how they are, they attempt to answer and start saying something about a toothache they’re developing or an incident they had at work, but then they realize you’re not even listening. Europeans, don’t get offended – it’s not that we don’t care about how you feel, it’s just a cultural thing.