Andrew Sercombe, a Christian and international therapeutic coach told Premier's News Hour most people asking about people's wellbeing don't actually care.
"They don't really mean it, there's something I would describe as polite noise," he explained.
"It's just a way of making a connection with somebody."
His comments come as campaign group Time to Change claim three quarters of us say we're fine - even when we're not.
They're calling for people to ask twice how someone is feeling - to try to improve conversations around mental health.
Sercombe said there were other ways people can show people they are interested in how they're felling.
"I think it's to do with your body language, the way you look at them, what your actual intention is inside," he said.
However, he warned against people opening up to just anyone.
"Sometimes people ask, 'how are you doing?' and what they're wanting to do is use it as a lever to find their way into your vulnerabilities and I would never encourage people just to make themselves vulnerable unnecessarily like that," he added.
Advising how to respond to someone you don't want to open up to, Sercombe said it would be ok to to respond with 'fine', because, "as a Christian - I am fine, because God is in control of my life."
Listen to Premier's Eno Adeogun speaking with Andrew Sercombe:
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