When moving to another country, or even just visiting, you’ll have to adjust to the unspoken rules of a new place. Some of these cultural rules will be familiar to you, but they can also be odd, or at the very least not make much sense. In this article, we’ll talk about culture shock in Thailand, and go into a few common things that foreigners might find bizarre or shocking.
Do Visitors to Thailand Experience Culture Shock?
The short answer is yes, visitors do experience culture shock on arriving in Thailand. Not everyone, of course, but there are a lot of peculiar traits of Thailand that make it much different than places in the West (and other regions, too). Let’s take a look at some of the aspects of Thailand that people may get culture shock from, in no particular order.
Culture Shock: Surprising Aspects of Life in Thailand
1. A Smile is Not Always a Smile
Non-verbal communication in Thailand differs a lot from Western norms. The famous Thai smile, for example, doesn’t always mean happiness. It can express a range of emotions, from amusement to embarrassment or even annoyance. Thais will subdue their natural instincts and try to smile through many awkward or uncomfortable social situations; in fact, there are at least 13 different types of smiles in Thailand.
2. “Face” and Social Harmony
Part of the reason why Thais choose to smile rather than become overtly angry is that they value keeping the peace, and Thai society places a high value on this harmony.
The concept of “face” is directly related to such harmony, and it may seem strange to many foreigners, particularly those from the West. What it is, essentially, is respect, dignity, or reputation. Face is just what it sounds like, the front part of what is presented to everyone, your representation.
As a result, Thais don’t like to make people look bad. They don’t want to embarrass you, to criticize you outright, or to lead you to feel that you have done something wrong (directly, anyway).
For example, many Thais prefer to say no in a roundabout way, so as not to embarrass another person or cause them to “lose face.” This can be extremely frustrating to foreigners from the West, who tend to value direct communication. A Thai person might use many excuses to be soft on you, hoping that you will read between the lines.
It won’t be “shocking” to Westerns per se, but it will lead to a lot of frustrating conversations, where one side wants clarity and the other wants ambiguity. Neither way of doing things is necessarily more right than the other, but from a Western perspective, saving face can lead to all kinds of inefficiencies and absurdities, especially in the workplace.
3. No Hug Goodbye?
Another thing that might lead to culture shock for foreigners is the lack of physical touch. In America and many European countries, it is typical to hug or even kiss your friend upon meeting or leaving them. However, this is weird in Thailand.
A corollary to this is that public displays of affection are considered inappropriate. You shouldn’t be kissing your significant other while walking along the street. (Though these days, however, people seem to care less and less.)
4. Rules of the Road
On your visit to Thailand, you might also notice that nobody cares about following traffic laws. Running red lights, driving on the wrong side of the road, motorcycles on the sidewalk. It can seem like chaos, and to be honest, it is.
When crossing the street, you may also notice that the cars do not want to slow down or stop for you. Pedestrians do not really have the right of way in Thailand, and this can be off-putting to foreigners.
5. Work Culture and Hierarchy
Finally, the Thai workplace can also be a source of culture shock. Hierarchy is important in Thai business culture, with great respect given to seniority and position. This can lead to decision-making processes that seem overly deferential or slow compared to what Westerners may be accustomed to.
Communication in the workplace can also be a challenge because of the concept of “saving face,” as we discussed earlier. Negative feedback might be couched in very gentle terms or not given at all, which can be frustrating for people used to more direct communication.
Culture Shock in Thailand: The Bottom Line
In Thailand, everything is a bit more fluid. Rules are rules, but they aren’t necessarily always followed (even the law), so it can be confusing to foreigners who first arrive here and who don’t know how to act. A few cultural faux pas here and there are not a problem, and Thais are generally very forgiving people. But, the law is the law, so do not break them even if you see others doing so. One important thing that you must never do is disrespect the royal family. Thailand has very strict lèse-majesté laws, and you can go to jail for a very long time for a poor choice of words. All in all though, there’s no need to stress about behaving correctly when you’re here. The rules can be picked up pretty quickly, and Thai people are some of the least judgmental in the world.
