The Perfect Answers to "How's Life?" for Any Situation

If someone asks "how are you," you likely know how to respond. You likely also realize that people typically don't mean that question literally—it's just a social nicety. But what about "How's life?" If you usually respond to that question with awkward silence, you're not alone. "Good" or "fine" are perfectly appropriate responses, but if you're looking for something more creative, read on.

Ways to Respond to "How's Life?"

Neutrally: "Just going with the flow."
Positively: "Life's been great, thanks for asking!"
Humorously: "I don't know, why don't you ask life?"
Honestly: "I've been struggling lately, but I'm hanging in there."
Philosophically: "Life's only constant is change."

Section 1 of 10:

Neutral Responses

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"Not too bad, how about you?" This is probably your safest response if the person is someone you don't know very well (or aren't necessarily interested in getting to know very well). Just treat the question the same as you would "How are you?" or any other generic greeting. Here are some more ideas:
- "Life's been alright, can't complain."
- "Just going with the flow."
- "Same old, same old."
- "Making the best of things."
- "Not bad, thanks for asking. Trying to stay positive."
- "Uneventful." (If things have been busy, you could use the opposite and say, "eventful.")^{[1]
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Section 2 of 10:

Positive Responses

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"My life is wonderful, thanks for asking." If things are going great for you right now, why not say so? After all, they did ask! That likely means that they care about you and hope things are going well for you, so they'll be relieved to know that they are. You might try saying something like:
- "Better than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow!"
- "Life's been kind to me, I feel blessed."
- "Everything's been smooth sailing for me!"
- "Life's been great, thanks so much for asking!"
- "Couldn't be better—I feel incredibly fulfilled right now."
- "Life's been so charmed lately, I'm just riding on a high."
- "Life's amazing, I feel so blessed to be alive."

Section 3 of 10:

Funny Responses

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"I don't know, why don't you ask life?" If it's a close friend who's asked and you understand their sense of humor, a joke can be a great way to break the ice. Just be cautious when using humor with someone you don't know very well—they might take what you say the wrong way. Here are some funny lines you can play with:
- "It's got more plot twists than an M. Night Shyamalan movie."
- "Giving me lemons but I've got a two-for-one special on lemonade."
- "Hanging in there like a loose tooth in a stubborn kid's mouth."
- "How is life? That's weird. I thought life was life."
- "Any better and there'd be a law against it!"
- "Some days it's a donut, others just a hole."

Section 4 of 10:

Work-Related Responses

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"Busy, but in a good way." If you're in a work- or school-related environment, you likely want your response to be related to that same context. These responses will usually be a bit more serious and formal than responses in other contexts. Here are some ideas:
- "I've been slammed lately, so it'll be nice to finally get a break."
- "It's been going well, thanks for asking! I'm getting a lot done."
- "I appreciate you asking, I've been really busy lately."
- "Life's been pretty hectic but it'll ease up next month."
- "Keeping busy and expanding my horizons."
- "Life's moving along nicely, thanks."
- "Life has been an interesting journey and I've made lots of discoveries along the way."

Section 5 of 10:

Honest Responses

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"It's been better, but I'm still here." With someone you're really close to, it's okay to let your guard down. Feel free to open up a little and let them know if things haven't been the best for you lately. You're not necessarily inviting a conversation about it, just letting them know that recent times haven't been the best for you. That emotional vulnerability on your part can deepen your connection with the person.^{[2]
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Research source} You might say:
- "I'm going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but I appreciate your concern."
- "It's been a challenging time, but thanks for asking."
- "I've gotta be honest, I'm just barely keeping my head above water."
- "These are trying times, but I'm doing my best."
- "Just weathering the storm, my friend. Trying to keep my head up."
- "Not that great, to be honest, but I appreciate you."
- "I'm hanging in there, that's the best I can say."

Section 6 of 10:

Philosophical Responses

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"Life has been as promised." A question like "How's life?" practically begs you to ponder some deep philosophical questions. In a casual or social environment, this can be a fun way to loosen things up. Here are some ideas:
- "Life is a highway. The only question is who's navigating."
- "Life's a roller coaster—I'm just along for the ride."
- "A better question might be 'Why is life?'"
- "Life is but a dream that we have while awake."
- "Life is a label we use to put meaning on existence."
- "Nasty, brutish, and short." (It's a quote from the philosopher Thomas Hobbes.)

Section 7 of 10:

Sarcastic Responses

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"Just another day in paradise." A word of caution—only use this type of response with a person you can be sarcastic with. Usually, they're going to be a pretty close friend around the same age as you. Just keep in mind that sarcasm is really likely to be misinterpreted, depending on the context.^{[3]
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Research source} But if the vibe is right, you can try these responses on for size:
- "Living the dream!" (While it sounds positive, people usually mean this sarcastically when they say it.)
- "Extraordinarily lifelike." (Typically considered sarcastic because you're intentionally taking the question literally when you know that's not how the person meant it.)
- "I can't say I haven't been not unwell, how are you?" (The layers of negation are difficult to untangle, causing confusion.)
- "Likely better than the alternative." (The sarcasm lies in the fact that the alternative to life would be death.)
- "On life support, interestingly enough." (Plays on the contrast between life and death.)
- "Knocked out and waiting to be revived." (Plays on the contrast between life and death.)

Section 8 of 10:

Transitional Responses

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Use the question to talk about your life. "How's life?" is a very open question that invites you to share a story or talk about any major changes in your life recently. Often, people ask this question to give you the opportunity to talk about something you want to talk about! So after your initial response, feel free to:
- Plug your most recent accomplishment
- Talk about your family
- Discuss how you're adapting to a recent move, new job, or similar change
- Tell a funny story about something that happened recently
- Mention something you've recently learned

Section 9 of 10:

Why People Ask "How's Life?"

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Typically they're genuinely interested in what's going on with you. If they're asking this question as part of a greeting, it's likely that they actually want to hear some kind of news, something that's been happening with you. They've chosen this question because it feels less generic and more personal. It's also a more casual question that indicates the person feels a comfortable familiarity with you.^{[4]
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- If you've already greeted the person, they might also be searching for something to talk about.
- If the person is searching for a conversation topic, when they ask "How's life?" it allows you to take the reins and steer the conversation towards something you want to talk about.

Section 10 of 10:

Alternatives to "How's Life?"

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1
How's it going? In this question, the word "it" is generally assumed to refer to the person's life. So when you ask this question, you're asking the person how their life is going. This is probably the most similar question to "How's Life?"^{[5]
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- For example, if a friend says to you, "So how's life?" you could respond, "Not too bad, my friend, how's it going for you?" They might then respond, "It's been going alright, thanks for asking."
2
How's life been treating you? The way this question is worded, it puts more focus on how life is affecting the person. At the same time, it's usually treated about the same as any other way of asking "How are you?"
- For example, if you run into an old friend at a café and ask, "How's life been treating you?" a typical response would be, "Oh, I can't complain, life's been good to me. How about you?"
- This question is also very similar to "How's life?" in that many different types of responses could potentially be appropriate depending on the circumstances.
3
What have you been up to? The specific meaning of this question can change depending on the context, so the response can vary as well. It generally implies an interest in what the person has been doing since you last saw them.
- For example, if you're at a concert with a friend and they disappear for an hour, when they return you might ask, "What have you been up to?" In that context, you're only asking about the hour when your friend was gone.
- In contrast, if you run into someone you haven't seen in years and say "What have you been up to?" it's a much more general question—you're not asking for a highlight reel of everything that person has done since you last saw them.
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What's been going on? This question is typically more appropriate if you're talking to someone you haven't seen in a while. It gives them the opportunity to catch you up on what's been happening since the last time you talked.
- For example, if you get a text from a friend who you haven't heard from in a few months, you might ask, "What's been going on?" They can respond by telling you anything of note that's happened since the last time you spoke.