HomeAbstract of 9th-fshconfAI Doesn’t Get Tired of Listening”: Kreng Jai and Thai University Students’ Use of AI Chatbots for Emotional Support

AI Doesn’t Get Tired of Listening”: Kreng Jai and Thai University Students’ Use of AI Chatbots for Emotional Support

  • Aug 11, 2026
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Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on Future of Social Sciences and Humanities

Year: 2026

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AI Doesn’t Get Tired of Listening”: Kreng Jai and Thai University Students’ Use of AI Chatbots for Emotional Support

Dr. Christin Marie Grothaus

ABSTRACT:

In Thai culture, kreng jai, the reluctance to impose on others or cause inconvenience, shapes much of social interaction, including decisions about seeking emotional support. This qualitative study examines Thai university students’ use of AI chatbots for emotional support, with particular attention to the role of kreng jai in shaping their preference for disclosing personal difficulties to chatbots rather than to friends or family. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Thai students aged 19–22 who use chatbots to discuss emotional concerns. Thematic analysis revealed a recurring tension in participants’ accounts: while wanting support, they described discomfort with burdening others who might be busy, stressed, or tired, and AI appeared to ease this tension. Participants reported feeling considerably less constrained when talking to chatbots, perceiving them as free from the emotional burden that human listeners might experience. For many, this reduction in perceived social cost enabled franker self-expression than they felt comfortable with in human interactions, particularly given cultural expectations around politeness and deference. Participants also valued AI’s constant availability and its usefulness for processing difficult emotions before approaching others. At the same time, some reflected that they now turned to friends less often for everyday concerns. These findings suggest that culturally specific values may shape engagement with AI in ways that warrant further investigation and have implications for student wellbeing, human support networks, and the design of mental health technologies in collectivist contexts.

Keywords: Collectivism; Emotional Disclosure; Help-Seeking; Human-AI Interaction; Mental Health Technology