Sanuk, the Thai word which means fun or enjoyment is paramount in the Thai way of life. The Thais believe that for something to be worthwhile, it really should be sanuk. If it's not sanuk, it may quickly become boring to the Thais. Thais can frequently be seen laughing and enjoying themselves in whatever they are doing. If the enjoyment wanes, the activity may well cease. This carries on all the way into employment and a Thai may resign from their work if it is not sanuk although as often happens, economic necessity may compel them to do something that they do not necessarily enjoy.
The whole idea of living a lifestyle where everything is fun is great in principle, but it doesn't always work. One example is that there are certain things in life that are quite frankly a hard slog and there are times when you imply have to do the hard yards. In certain situations, the locals can get fed up easily and not want to do the hard yards. A classic example is in the study of English where certain parts of it, particularly the grammar parts, can be difficult and require extra work. Thais can get very bored when it comes to things like this and complain that it is not sanuk. The other situation when things get take the other way is when they try and make something sanuk and it gets out of hand. Take the case of an auction. We got to an auction to bid on an item but the idea is to try and get it for a god price. Take a simple household item like a glass. Such would sell in a department store for perhaps 10 baht. But if you were to auction it off to a bunch of Thais, the whole idea of bidding against each other is deemed to be fun and they will keep bidding well beyond the 10 baht price and son of them, the "winner", might end up paying as much as 100 baht for it, ten times more than they should. Yep, sometimes the idea of sanuk gets taken just too far!
All Thai people, from every strata of society, and every religion, are very, very fond of His Majesty The King. The world's longest reigning monarch has dedicated his life to his country and his people. Not only are there many, many royal projects that his majesty has overseen, he is a visionary whose philosophy drives the Thai people. His majesty has impressed upon his subjects the importance of self-sufficiency and this has now become a part of Thai people's philosophy. One should never make any negative comments whatsoever about HM The King or the royal family. To do so is the ultimate insult to Thai people, Thailand and the country's most respected figure. Any negative comment may result in an extremely harsh reaction from Thai people. It is also a very serious breach of the law. The seriousness of this cannot be overstated. Simply do not joke or even make the slightest criticism of HM The King or anyone in the Royal Family.
The vast majority of Thai people are Buddhist and while people are free to follow any faith, you should also be careful about discussing anything religious related, especially about Buddhism. While in the West intelligent discussion is encouraged, irrespective of the topic, here in Thailand, religion and the monarchy are best not talked about at all if you have any negative opinions whatsoever.
Buddhism is the dominant religion with the vast majority of the population claiming to be Buddhist, well over 90% of Thais. There are a few provinces in the deep south, just north of the Malaysian border, that have a greater number of Muslims than Buddhists to the point that even though they are geographically Thailand, you could be mistaken for thinking you were in Malaysia. Funnily enough, in these particular provinces, the culture really does not feel so Thai and I have never felt entirely comfortable down that way. And it should be noted that over the past few years there have been safety issues. The deep south of Thailand is the one part of the country where it is wise to seek out travellers information from your embassy before venturing there.
Thai people are generally friendly, charming and hospitable but unfortunately many lack the opportunities, or money, to get a good education. With agriculture still the largest industry in terms of employment numbers, many Thais work in a position that in the West would be classified as unskilled labour. With limited opportunities for employment in the countryside there is no real requirement for a higher education there. Having said that, those who reach a higher education are certainly admired in Thailand.