Thomas, recovering in the hospital with a femoral neck fracture, is still a happy person. His best friend lives in the tropics and no longer needs to work – but is always grumpy. Several good friends have suggested to Jane that she seek therapeutic help, but she says that ‘it isn’t that bad!’. Her neighbor […]

Everybody knows at least one: unhappy expats. Well, some of us might just have to look at ourselves… Frequent complaints about ‘the Thais’ and the annoyances of daily life in Thailand, ranting about other expats, worrying about sickness, feeling isolated, bored or easily upset: all of these symptoms are quite typical amongst people who are […]

When I first came to Thailand, I wondered: given the healthy Thai cuisine, why are so many people – especially expats – overweight? Take a look on any street: at least one in three expats is obese. This is a high percentage, comparable only with the ‘fattest’ States in the USA, and  is responsible for […]

The grass might not be greener on the other side of the border, a new study from the University of Leicester has found. According to it, economic migrants travelling to different shores for greater income could be set for disappointment, because the pursuit of wealth does not necessarily equate with happiness. Sociologist Dr David Bartram […]

When they hear the word ‘depression’, many people think of sad or hopeless individuals who can’t cope with a life event, who are living withdrawn and are often crying their existence. But in fact this is only rarely the case. In a U.S. study published in 1996, for example, only a third of the patients […]

Have you been scared lately? If your fears come back again and restrict your daily life, this could be a phobia, a specific form of anxiety disorders. The main symptom of a phobia is an intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, objects, animals or people – but usually this fear is irrational, and […]