Are the Thai really different?

For some years academics have been debating whether thermal comfort varies among different enthnicities, with the balance of opinion seeming to shift in these days of multicultural pride toward discoveries of ethnic difference. A recent study by a Thai professor at the excellent Silpakorn University follows thsi view by concluding, based on a field survey of many Thai people in their own settings, that Thai prefer much warmer and more humid environments than fahlang. Based on my experience giving bedtime thermal comfort questionnaires to my girlfriend (is that why she is mad at me?), I half believe this, and when I read the paper by the professor I knew that I was supposed to believe it without question.

You saw the Olgyay chart in the last posting here, and now you can see the results of the survey here.

Do you believe it?

I've superimposed the zone of favored conditions for Thai people on top of the Olgyay bioclimatic zone diagram shown last post. Do you think the Thai are most comfortable in their ordinary lives and activities at a temperature of 30 and RH of 80 percent? The warmer days and nights of last month (April 2007)? This is certainly enough to make me miserable.

I wonder. I have some methodological issues with the research, but I'm going to give you the link to the paper below so you can make up your own mind. We'll talk more about his later, meanwhile I look forward to your views.

http://www.unige.ch/cuepe/html/plea2006/Vol2/PLEA2006_PAPER842.pdf