[cheapphenonline]

I found this article on a website I chanced upon:

Losing Face

Part of the Thai non-confrontational cultures is never to lose face, something Westerners find difficult to accomplish. Although the Thais are getting more used to Western forms of expression, you will lose their respect if you ever exhibit strong emotional scenes. A Thai will never show anger, disappointment or disgust to another person except in the most extreme situations.

You should never raise your voice, lose you patience or get angry as it is seen as a weakness and lack of control and this behavior will get you nowhere. The Thais strive for harmony between all people and things, Jai yen is the term that means cool heart and is a term a compliment hard to beat. For this reason, the Thai smile can mean an assortment of emotions from happiness through to anger.