If you smile at people in Thailand they think you are friendly. In the west they think you are creepy if at woman and gay if at man. The west isnt a friendly place anymore.

 

It's a different world.

the downside of smiling is you need to guess if the smile is authentic or fake.

 

so there is an upside to a society where no one smiles. 

 

 

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

the downside of smiling is you need to guess if the smile is authentic or fake.

 

so there is an upside to a society where no one smiles. 

 

 

On Lanta I saw lots of Russians. All the older ones no smiles. They looked miserable.

 

 

Be what you want to be

1 minute ago, bignok said:

On Lanta I saw lots of Russians. All the older ones no smiles. They looked miserable.

 

 

maybe they've had harsh lives.

russia also has some of the worst climate in the world. 

it might be miserable to live there. 

 

i don't smile that much anymore. 

it's not good to show everyone that you are too friendly.

it can be interpreted as a sign of weakness by unscrupulous people.  

unless you're in the tourist industry and you need to pick people's pockets.  

 

10 minutes ago, bignok said:

If you smile at people in Thailand they think you are friendly.

You might learn something about Thailand, and thai smiles, before including it in your hackneyed cultural platitudes. 

2 minutes ago, Dcheech said:

You might learn something about Thailand, and thai smiles, before including it in your hackneyed cultural platitudes. 

I know lots about Thai culture. Been dating them for decades.

As everyone still wears masks how can anyone know if you smile at them ??

 

13 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

downside of smiling is you need to guess if the smile is authentic or fake.

Look at their eyes for that. The eyes are the windows to the soul.

Just now, ignis said:

As everyone still wears masks how can anyone know if you smile at them ??

 

Only about 50% wear masks, less in some places. Most of Isaan is very low masks.

don't ya just love that thai fake smile ...  ????

I was in Krabi in restaurant. Woman there talking to another Thai friend. Beaming smile totally genuine. Laughter and joy.

 

I rarely see that in the west.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/neurophilosophy/2015/jun/02/how-your-eyes-betray-your-thoughts

The eye movement thing is pretty cool. Closer to the truth the less they move.

 

 

24 minutes ago, bignok said:

I rarely see that in the west.

nah, they do

when's the last time you been back there?

2 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

nah, they do

when's the last time you been back there?

There now.

People sitting next to you on a plane don't talk to you anymore either. Why?

 

Because they never were really gagging to talk to you in the first place and the cell phone finally gave them an out. Walkman headphone wearers were the early adaptors of polite personal space.

 

If people don't want to smile or interact, I really want to support them in that.

 

I come from The South where someone standing at a crosswalk will be blankly smiling at cars going by. Which meant I had to smile back. At a person I'd be forgetting 30 seconds later.

 

 

9 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

People sitting next to you on a plane don't talk to you anymore either. Why?

 

Because they never were really gagging to talk to you in the first place and the cell phone finally gave them an out. Walkman headphone wearers were the early adaptors of polite personal space.

 

If people don't want to smile or interact, I really want to support them in that.

 

I come from The South where someone standing at a crosswalk will be blankly smiling at cars going by. Which meant I had to smile back. At a person I'd be forgetting 30 seconds later.

 

 

I talk to cute women.

Now that I am retired, I tend to smile much more. Work in the USA was Hell.

1 hour ago, bignok said:

If you smile at people in Thailand they think you are friendly. In the west they think you are creepy if at woman and gay if at man. The west isnt a friendly place anymore.

 

It's a different world.

I don't think it has been for years, possibly decades.  The happiest countries are racially homogenous and highly patriotic.  I'm not complaining, that's just the way it is.

53 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

I don't think it has been for years, possibly decades.  The happiest countries are racially homogenous and highly patriotic.  I'm not complaining, that's just the way it is.

I went to Bhutan, the happiest place on earth. They were blissed out, sure, but also had a crazy oppressive apartheid against the dark skin transplants (which sounds very familiar).

19 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

I went to Bhutan, the happiest place on earth. They were blissed out, sure, but also had a crazy oppressive apartheid against the dark skin transplants (which sounds very familiar).

Yeah, I think when you move away from collectivism and towards individualism, collective happiness decreases, while individual suffering is reduced.  Something like that.

1 hour ago, bignok said:

I talk to cute women.

I bet they love that.  How old are you?  Would not want to be a cute woman sitting next to you on a plane. 

8 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

I bet they love that.  How old are you?  Would not want to be a cute woman sitting next to you on a plane. 

How old are you?

9 minutes ago, bignok said:

How old are you?

Answering a question with a question is a cop-out !????

3 hours ago, save the frogs said:

the downside of smiling is you need to guess if the smile is authentic or fake.

 

so there is an upside to a society where no one smiles. 

 

 

I think you are referring to Russia. I find no joy in joylessness, nor a bleak, dark society. They can have it.

 

I find a nice smile keeps the heart warm. It is a very pleasant muscle to work, and brings much joy. Many Thais are very intuitive and receptive to kindness. I find a genuine smile goes a long way here. As some said, in the West, a smile does not get you much, besides scorn. Especially if you are smiling at a young and pretty gal. Here, I find alot smile back. And that is very heartwarming. I can flirt and joke around mercilessly with a cute, young waitress here, and often she is laughing and smiling. Alot of Thais have a wonderful lightness of being, and that is pure delight, for me. In the West, I would get locked up!

24 minutes ago, mancub said:

Answering a question with a question is a cop-out !????

Thats what politicians do

 

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I think you are referring to Russia. I find no joy in joylessness, nor a bleak, dark society. They can have it.

 

I find a nice smile keeps the heart warm. It is a very pleasant muscle to work, and brings much joy. Many Thais are very intuitive and receptive to kindness. I find a genuine smile goes a long way here. As some said, in the West, a smile does not get you much, besides scorn. Especially if you are smiling at a young and pretty gal. Here, I find alot smile back. And that is very heartwarming. I can flirt and joke around mercilessly with a cute, young waitress here, and often she is laughing and smiling. Alot of Thais have a wonderful lightness of being, and that is pure delight, for me. In the West, I would get locked up!

If a cute young waitress is smiling at you it’s probably because your a creepy old guy!

I think you get back what you put out. When you are in Thailand you have a happier energy but when you are in the island nation that you live in you are miserable and a smile does not cover that up.

 

When was the last time you were somewhere considered the west other than Oz?  A good morning, goedemorgen or buenos días with a smile usually gets one in return in most of the western countries I have had the pleasure of visiting. I think saying the west is not friendly is an extreme overgeneralization. 

 

 

3 hours ago, biervoormij said:

I think you get back what you put out. When you are in Thailand you have a happier energy but when you are in the island nation that you live in you are miserable and a smile does not cover that up.

 

When was the last time you were somewhere considered the west other than Oz?  A good morning, goedemorgen or buenos días with a smile usually gets one in return in most of the western countries I have had the pleasure of visiting. I think saying the west is not friendly is an extreme overgeneralization. 

 

 

How does that work if you’re happy being left alone?

 

Not everyone wants a greeting or smile everywhere they go. They want privacy, and not to stand out in any way. Unfortunately, privacy is at a premium and you have to pay an arm and a leg for it.

 

just ask the guy who was looking over at my balcony and smiling. He acts friendly but I can’t stand the guy. I like my balcony completely private without having to grow a forest of trees on it so I don’t see the guy.

 

here’s hoping he will”just go away” with a friendly smile, but I doubt it. He want to get back that response now more then ever. Telling him to fuk off may work but it seems unfriendly.