long distance relationship

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (January 2010)

A long-distance relationship or 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.^[1]

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-mail, 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:

• Letters
• Instant messaging
• Text messaging
• VoIP programs
• Facebook
• Shared online activities (e.g., online games such as MMORPGs)
• 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)

See also

• Living apart together

Bibliography

Chris Bell, Kate Brauer-Bell, The long-distance relationship survival guide (New York: Ten Speed Press, 2006)

References