[pimbertiemoft]

I'm still waiting for a reference citation or the name of a theorist or two who can support the notion that the brains of Asians are different structurally from the brains of Europeans.

I don't even want to get into excuses for poor language skills. That would be drifting off topic more than we already have. The main focus of this thread is to discuss cultural differences where manners or social behaviors are concerned.

The three circles of intimacy mentioned by trisket sound very interesting and logical. Has anyone else had any experience with this in Thai culture?

I know that in America we don't like to have strangers stand too close or touch us. Like trisket mentioned, truly intimate relationships are rare for most Americans. What we tend to call friends are really acquaintances, for the most part. We're luck to have one or two really close friends. As our society becomes increasingly mobile, I expect these intimate relationships will be even more rare.