Does Distance Drive Us Apart or Give Us a Reason to Love Harder

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Updated: 29 Apr, 2023

Table of Contents

Distance can deepen love: by sharing daily check-ins, vulnerabilities, and small moments, you’ll feel seen and grow closer every day.
Communication and rituals matter: create predictable routines and honest conversations so trust grows and you both feel securely connected across miles.
Commitment bridges distance: stay hopeful, support each other’s goals, plan visits, and celebrate small milestones together to strengthen your emotional bond.

For all those who have been in a long distance relationship or are in a long distance relationship will know how hard it is and all they dream about is the day that they will be able to share a zip code together. Many people cringe at the thought of long distance relationship, and it is no surprise that these relationships are not only hard to maintain but many such commitments are destined to fail in the long run.

Statistics show that in 2005, around 14-15 million people in the United States considered themselves in a long distance relationship and the number was more or less the same with an approximation of about 14 million in 2018. When looked at these 14 million, half a million of these couples are in a long-distance but non-marital relationship.

Quick stats

If you take a quick scan of some statistics on these 14 million people in a long distance relationship, you will see that,

Around 3.75 million married couples are in a long distance bond
An estimated 32.5% of all the long-distance relationships are relationships that started in college
At some point, 75 % of all engaged couples have been in a long distance relationship
Almost 2.9% of all the married couples in the United States are a part of a long-distance relationship.
An around 10% of all marriages start out as a long-distance relationship.

When you take a look at the stats mentioned above, you may ask yourself “Why do people prefer long distance relationship?” and the second question arises, are they successful?

Related Reading: Managing a Long Distance Relationship

Why do people prefer long distance relationship?

The most common reason that causes people to end up in a long distance relationship is college. Nearly one-third of people who claim to be in a long distance relationship say the reason they’re in one is due to college relationships.

In the recent years, the number of long-distance relationships has risen, and the factors for this rise include commuting or work-related factors; however, the most significant contributor to this rise in the use of the World Wide Web.

Online dating has given made people more willing to commit themselves to a long distance relationship. With the new concept of virtual relationship, people are now able to forge real connections even if they live on the opposite ends of the world.

Related Reading: 6 Ways on How to Build Trust in Long-Distance Relationships

The strength of long distance relationship

As the saying goes, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder,” however, it is no surprise distance has a huge role in making meant-to-be together couples fall apart. A survey of 5000 people carried out by Homes.com shows that more people are changing themselves and moving away from their hometown in the name of love. And such “moving out” antics do not always bring about a happy ending.

The results of the survey were: This survey shows that 18% of people in a long-distance relationship were willing to move to make their relationship work whereas one-third of these people had been relocated in the name of love more than once. For almost half of the people who took part in this survey claim that it was not easy and 44% moves around 500 miles to be with their significant other.

The good news that this survey brought is that almost 70% who moved in the name of love claimed that their relocation was very successful, but not everyone ended up being lucky. This means that if you think your relationship is struggling then don’t be afraid to make it succeed and find a way to work on it rather than choosing to break up.

Related Reading: How Unrequited Love from a Distance Feels Like

it is no surprise distance has a huge role in making meant-to-be together couples fall apart

One of the myths regarding long distance relationship is they are likely to fail

One of the strongest myths regarding long distance relationship is they are likely to fail and yes, this myth is not entirely accurate. If you again look at the statistics for how long a long-distance relationship can last, then it shows that the average time for a long-distance relationship to work is 4-5 months. But keep in mind that these statistics do not mean that your relationship is bound to fail.

You need to sacrifice a lot

Long distance relationships are not stress-free, you need to sacrifice a lot and have to give all your time and effort to make them work. Absence does make the heart grow fonder and such relationships are hard; you yearn to see them again, hold their hand, kiss them back but you can’t. You can’t hug them, or kiss them, or cuddle with them because they are miles away.

However, if two people who are willing to make it work, who love each other, believe in each other and are eager to be with that person till the end, the distance does not matter. It comes as no shock that “Love can conquer all” is indeed very true but to conquer everything with love requires a lot of sacrifices. If you and your partner are eager to make these sacrifices and are willing to overcome differences, then there is nothing that can stop you from making your relationship work.

Related Reading: How to Make a Long Distance Relationship Work

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Marriage.com Editorial Team Relationship & Marriage Advice

The Marriage.com Editorial Team is a group of experienced relationship writers, experts, and mental health professionals. We provide practical and research-backed advice on relationships. Our content is thoroughly reviewed by experts... Read more to ensure that we offer high-quality and reliable relationship advice. Read less