How formal is 如何 in the context of 最近如何? I was told by friend who is a native mainland speaker that "最近如何", or anything using "如何" to inquire about the state of a person, is a very ancient/formal way of speaking. This was quite a shock to me&mdash;I was taught this sentence quite early in my studies as a relaxed way of asking how someone was doing, although I think I learned it from a Taiwanese blog. He suggested using "最近怎样" instead, which he said is much less formal.

What is the social context of "如何"/"最近如何" in the mainland? Is it different than in Taiwan? Is it too formal/old to be used among friends? Is "最近怎样" more modern? When should I use which?
IMO, 最近如何 is a little formal, while 最近怎么样 is much natural and genial. 

Anyway, I think it's OK for a formal social occasion.

BTW: When 如何 is used in the context for how to do sth such as 如何刻录dvd, it's normal.