Long-distance relationship
Encyclopedia
A long-distance relationship (LDR) is typically an intimate relationship
that takes place when the partners are separated by a considerable distance
.
In 2005, according to The Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships, an estimated 2.9% of US marriages were considered long-distance, with 1 in 10 marriages reported to have included a period at long distance within the first 3 years. This means that in 2005 approximately 3.5 million people in the US alone were involved in long-distance marriages. It is harder to know precisely how many non-married couples are in a long-distance relationship but according to The Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships there was an estimated 4 to 4.5 million college couples in the US which were in non marital LDRs.
Three major components of a successful relationship while in college are:
, online chatting
and video conferencing have made it possible to keep in touch. Other forms of communication frequently employed by partners in long-distance relationships include:
Intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...
that takes place when the partners are separated by a considerable distance
Distance
Distance is a numerical description of how far apart objects are. In physics or everyday discussion, distance may refer to a physical length, or an estimation based on other criteria . In mathematics, a distance function or metric is a generalization of the concept of physical distance...
.
In 2005, according to The Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships, an estimated 2.9% of US marriages were considered long-distance, with 1 in 10 marriages reported to have included a period at long distance within the first 3 years. This means that in 2005 approximately 3.5 million people in the US alone were involved in long-distance marriages. It is harder to know precisely how many non-married couples are in a long-distance relationship but according to The Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships there was an estimated 4 to 4.5 million college couples in the US which were in non marital LDRs.
Long-distance relationships in college
Between 25–40% of all romantic relationships among students attending colleges across the US are long distance. This could be from many different factors such as:- Both partners attending a different universityUniversityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
or institutionInstitutionAn institution is any structure or mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human community...
. - One partner leaving for school, while the other stays in the hometown.
- Meeting at a university and going to separate hometowns for summer/semester breaks.
- One partner being in the militaryMilitaryA military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
. - Meeting online through a dating website.
Three major components of a successful relationship while in college are:
- Establish trust: to ease the fear of one's significant other finding someone else.
- Make time for each other: with different schedules it's important to make conversations interesting, making it seem like both partners are not far apart from each other.
- Be thoughtful: Showing compassionCompassionCompassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...
to partner that isn't around.
Ways to stay connected
Before the popularity of Internet dating, long-distance relationships were not as common, as the primary forms of communication between the lovers usually involved either telephone conversations or corresponding via mail. However, with the advent of the Internet, long-distance relationships have exploded in popularity as they become less challenging to sustain with the use of modern technology. Technologies including cell phones, e-mailE-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
, online chatting
Chat room
The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
and video conferencing have made it possible to keep in touch. Other forms of communication frequently employed by partners in long-distance relationships include:
- Letters
- Text messagingSMSSMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
- VoIP programs
- Social networking websites
- Shared online activities (e.g., online gameOnline gameAn online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
s such as MMORPGsMassively multiplayer online role-playing gameMassively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
) - Shared offline activities (e.g., watching the same movie while talking on the phone and listening to the same songs on radio at same time while talking on phone)