Thai Smiles
The Thais are a naturally happy people. Their carefree attitude to life is mirrored in their smiles. From the northernmost provinces to the deep south, smiling faces greet the visitor at every turn.
Renowned throughout the world as land of smiles, Thailand would surely top the poll if a global smile count were conducted. Thai smiles are usually the best remembered moments of a visitor’s stay.
We have plenty to smile about, too, we live in a tropical paradise brimming with abundant food and sunshine. Friends are never far away, family all around.
The Thai smiles sometimes can be confusing for visitors. Let’s say you’ve given your order to the waitress and you ask her if she understood. She’ll smile and answer “yes” , even if she didn’t just to avoid showing disrespect to you because the Thais are brought up believing that they should never disagree with their social superiors, for fear of embarrassing them. Instead of questioning, they avoid discord by smiling and agreeing with the other person. A better tactic is to smile and ask her to repeat back the order in Thai.
Smiling diplomacy has helped the Thais maintain their political and cultural identity throughout the country’s long history. Thailand has never been colonized by a foreign power. We gave the reason that it is much harder for the enemy to make war with us when we are smiling at them.
Western scientists proved in a recent study that a smile will actually help a person to look younger than his years. They found that all 80 facial muscles move when you smile. This, in turn, stimulates blood flow and makes you feel better.
A smile anywhere in the world will make you feel good but a visit to Thailand’s is one of the best ways to find real happiness. And when you leave, take a Thai smile with you. They make great souvenirs for your relatives back home but you have to double your smile to match a Thai smile.