I'm okay, how are u?

Why do we feel the need to ask people how they are doing, if we dont genuinely care how they are honestly feeling? Especially, when u ask and they lie to you and say that they are okay, but they are not, really. But had they said to you that they were not well, and then elaborated on why they are not well, you would think to yourself - why did i bother asking???

People ask me probably 30 times or more, depending on whether i have a bad day at work or not. I'm constantly being asked how am i, even if i have already spoken to the same engineer only 10 minutes ago. YES, i understand that they do it just to be polite. YES, i understand that i answer that im okay, just to be polite. BUT shouldnt we just cut it out, knowing that we are both just being polite, and our answers will be "i'm okay" or some similar variant of okay?

I'm not well. I'm coming down with the flu. I'm feeling feverish. When u ask me how i am, i really want to say that "im sick, i shouldnt be at work, although i am their last hope at the moment, and to be honest...im sick of saying that im okay, when im really not."

I have tried in the past to be honest with people when they asked how i was. I use to tell the engineers (because they know me) that i felt tired, when i did. That i was sick, when i was sick. That i was grateful that it was a Friday, when it was a Friday. And they empathised, but i just wasted heaps of time explaining myself. So, i stopped...and went back to being polite. They probably didnt care to hear about all the details either.

My phone calls always start of with:

Hi, how are you?
 
I'm good/okay, how are you?
 
I'm good, thanks.
I just called to...
 
If i dont ask a client how they are out of politeness, will they be offended? Will it be unprofessional?...I think that is the reason why i keep asking, even though i dont want to.  I also think its a bad habit, to ask because someone else asked you, not because you care to know. Curse the darn habit! =P