The Long Distance Dilemma

            The Long Distance Dilemma

            "Absence makes the heart grows fonder, doesn't it?" This quote was famously said by Simon Van Booy and was the main quote that inspired me to look about Long Distance Relationships and ask the question: "Are long distance relationships fundamentally different between the 'short distance' ones and are there positive effects of longs distance relationships?"

            Long Distance Relationships or LDR is a term that is commonly used by couples who live far apart. It may be because of various reasons, such as one is attending school or work in a different place or perhaps the couple actually lived far away from each other from the very beginning and only met because of modern technologies such as: Video Calling and Instant Messaging.

            So are LDRs actually different?

            Strikingly, yes. A research done by Cornell and Queens University in 2013 showed that Long Distance Relationships are actually more healthier than their 'short distance' counterparts by saying that although couples in LDRs don't usually talk with each other that often, somehow it made their bond tighter by having occasional intimate conversations with each other. Which makes a rather strange point that geographically close couples don't actually have that much intimacy with each other when compared to LDRs. Another point is that the absence of your partner do not make the relationship go sour, rather it strengthens it. By having the couples not deal with day to day stuff. It makes them focus on what's important such as making each other's time special. Another is that through distance, it makes the couple trust each other. As LDR couples literally take a leap of faith with their partner since they have no choice but to and this attitude makes people with trust issues more trusting with their partner. The last point that the research brings up is that LDR makes a person independent and interdependent. As it is explained that because LDR creates a situation wherein a person is not around with his loved one it makes that person deal with his/her issues more independently when compared to the 'short distance' ones and makes them recognize the world around them and not focus too much on what they have but rather on the world where they belong and everything in it.

            In the end, Long Distance Relationships are not that dramatic kind of relationship that we usually see in television and movies. But, it is something that people who haven't experienced such must look into as it shows valuable traits that most of us forget nowadays. Such as intimate communication and trust between each other. Showing that absence really do make the heart grow fonder.

References:

Jiang, L., & Hancock, J. (2013). Absence Makes the Communication Grow Fonder: Geographic           Separation, Interpersonal Media, and Intimacy in Dating Relationships. Journal of                       Communication, 556-577. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from                                                             http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcom.12029/full

Dargie, E., Blair, K., Goldfinger, C., & Pukall, C. (n.d.). Go Long! Predictors of Positive                        Relationship Outcomes in Long Distance Dating Relationships. Journal of Sex &                 

Marital Therapy, 131125085821006-131125085821006. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from                  http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0092623X.2013.864367#.VSUc8PmUf84

Group 3

Nunez, Vanessa Janine R.

Red, Ramces Brayalle T.

Ojos, Kevin H.

Alabin, Glassyl R.

Calip, Kaye Paula Ara M.

Moraleta, Raniella