Culture Snippets: Thailand

‘Culture snippets’ is our way of sharing snippets of insights into different countries. If you want to chat about how you can use these insights to inform your product and business decisions, feel free to get in touch.

Thailand is one of the few countries to have never been colonised by a foreign power. It was considered by Thais as ‘Buddha’s own country’. Theravada Buddhism, the predominant religion, heavily shapes Thais’ mentality & attitude.

Sanuk สนุก (to have fun) is elevated to an ethos, a way of life and work in Thai. The term Ngan means ‘work’ & also ‘party’’. To the Thais, work has to have a social dimension too. Some thought Sanuk rooted from a Buddhist concept: the impermanence of everything, the importance of living in the moment. Such mentality might have contributed to the high propensity to spend in this country as evident via its higher debt ratio in the region. The Bank of Thailand had to tighten rules governing credit cards & personal loans to curb overspending and household debt in 2017.

From a young age, Thais are taught to Kreng Jai - the desire not to disturb the happiness feeling of others, being considerate in maintaining a smooth social atmosphere.

Family comes first in Thailand with a great emphasis placed on the extended family. In Thai society, the elderly are treated in high regard. Groups are more important than individuals. Each person belongs to a group which dictates who they are, what they are entitled to and how important they are.

Photos: Taken when we were on the ground helping our clients to understand more about their customers and markets in this country.