Do Long-Distance Relationshhips Really Work?

People say long-distance means so little when someone means so much. You have to go wholeheartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having. 

Long-distance relationships or LDR are defined as any couple that is not located in the same geographic region and are physically unable to visit one another without great travel expenses, planning, or inconvenience to one's set schedule (Kelsey K. Peterson, 2014). In this era we find many couples who have long-distance relationships, there are 14 million couples who claim they're in a long distance relationship. 

And a recent study published in the Journal of Communication found that people in long-distance relationships have stronger bonds than those who have more consistent face-to-face connections with their significant others. Researchers suspect that's because individuals in LDR's have to try harder to communicate, and are in turn rewarded with a closer bond to their significant other. Doing a long-distance relationship is indeed very difficult unlike a normal relationship.

Moreover, long-distance relationships can be as satisfying as normal relationships. So, I will discuss the beneficial and negative aspects of having a long-distance relationship, and how to make long-distance relationships work.

First is the negative aspects of having a long-distance relationship. Many people say that long distance relationships don't work, and are simply a waste of time, subconsciously pulling them away from it. And usually, long-distance relationships fail slowly over time. You share intimate things with someone who is part of your life even if they are not physically present all the time. 

Not only that, people in long-distance relationships often feel lonely and depressed when they are away from their significant other. In fact, research shows that when we are separated from someone we love, anger, guilt, depression and anxiety are normal emotions. People in long-distance relationships report more symptoms of mild depression, such as feeling blue, difficulty sleeping, feeling uninterested in things, and difficulty concentrating (Kristine Pineda, 2021). 

And if we are far apart, there are times when we have trust issues with our partner. Trust issues become a problem when either you or your long-distance partner don't feel like you are free to express yourself to each other openly. 

This distrust can breed other negative emotions like anger and frustration and sadness, and they will slowly destroy your long-distance relationship (Kristine Pineda, 2021). Those are some simple examples that we can experience if we are in a long distance relationship.

Although being separated from your partner can place a physical and emotional limitation on your day-to-day life, there are actually many benefits of having a long-distance relationship. For example, Intimate conversations become frequent. When you live away from your partner, you spend a lot of your time with each other on phone calls or video chats, maybe even more than in most other relationships.

 In a study of 1,000 Americans who were or had been in a long-term relationship, 69% said they talked to their partner more during their time apart. Not only that, there is also emotional intimacy at its prime in a long-distance relationship. 

Free-flowing communication and greater commitment ensure emotional intimacy exists. This makes the couple feel closer emotionally. Partners subconsciously tend to compensate for the lack of physical intimacy by allowing other forms of intimacy to grow between them.