Thais often communicate indirect especially when talking about uncomfortable topics or when facing problems. Often Thai people will use “maybe” or “some people” to make their opinions less forceful. In Thailand, hardly anyone shows sadness, anger, or other negative emotions. In Thai culture, people believe the expression of negative emotions makes other people uncomfortable, which is why it is equal to “losing one’s face.” A Thai will always try to think of others before themselves since it is an essential part of their belief.
“Mai bhen rai,” which means “never mind” describes the Thai attitude very well. If something unpleasant is happening, one says “mai bhen rai” to calm the situation and avoid confrontation. It will cover conflicts and disputes, but don’t think that Thai people don’t care! They do, but they don’t want to lose their temper and have an argument in public.
Rooting in Buddhism is a Thai belief called the “middle way”. It describes the belief that nothing should be (expressed) “too negative” or “too positive”. Sometimes it might seem that Thai people are not very passionate about what they are doing. However, this is part of the middle way.
