Thailand - The land of Smiles

Most people will be familiar with the fact that Thailand is called the land of smiles before even setting foot on Thai soil. And upon arrival you will notice that it's absolutely true. Thais smile a lot. It's easy to think that you are in a country of either not so bright people or very happy and contended people. Thais are in fact happy but that's not the whole truth.

Being a pleasant habit, you might not want to start questioning the numerous smiles. But sooner or later the issue will arise and you will want to know the background of this behavior. Westerners might think that many of the Thais have little or nothing to smile about.

In the Western world, a smile is often a sign of amusement. In many situations it would be inappropriate or even rude to smile. Smiling at someone who fails to complete an action beyond his capabilities will most likely trigger a feeling of insult in a westerner. In the west, a smile means something. You have a reason to smile. In Thailand, the smile is an integrated part of life.

The different smiles

1. To show amusement

Smiles and laughter is a way for Thais, just as everybody else in the world, to show amusement. A westerner would probably not smile if he saw a person fall into a swimming pool with his clothes on. At least, he would try not to. In Thailand, people will smile at you every time if you find yourself in this or or a similar situation. But they do not smile to ridicule although you might come to that conclusion.

2. To excuse

In the previous example the smile might have been triggered by amusement but it can also be a way to excuse oneself. For instance if you spill your soft drink on someone's head in a restaurant, your smile will be an excuse. If the unfortunate person sitting there with Sprite in his hair smiles back, your excuse is granted. Visitors might realize that the smile can replace elaborate explanations or even monetary compensation.

3. To thank

Smiling can replace the phrase "thank you" in many situations, especially for small services performed. A smile and possibly a nod of the head can be thought of as "thank you a little". If you get a smile back think of it as "you're welcome". 

4. To side-step

The last two functions of the smile has to do with the jai yen (cool heart) philosophy of conflict avoidance. This is a big part of Thai social life. Some Thais smile their way out of most situations without saying anything that can be regretted later. This can make farangs (westerners) very angry but is widely accepted by Thais. The side-step smile needs no verbal communication. It can be translated as "no comment".

5. To show embarrassment

The embarrassment smile is also used to avoid conflict but in this case it indicates the users guilt. If you for instance find yourself in a small motorbike accident where you are the one to blame, the embarrassment smile should be used in combination with monetary or other compensation. Another alternative that is quite common in Thailand is to avoid conflict by fleeing the scene. This is however not recommended.

Don't take this page to seriously and don't try to analyze the smile too much. Just enjoy all the smiling faces. Smiles are contagious as well as yawning and visitors often find themselves smiling more while in Thailand. However, keep in mind that if you meet a girl in the street and she smiles at you, it doesn't (necessarily) mean that she's head over heels in love with you.