How often do you reply to messages?

Since being rejected is the most crushing feeling in the world, I always message back when people message me, regardless or not whether I'm interested. My feeling is that since someone took the time to say hello or say something nice to me, the least I could do is engage in reciprocity. Also, I feel that if my little green dot that tells people I message frequently makes me a more attractive target.

What about you guys/gals?