Long Distance Relationships Growing into Marriage

It has been universally acknowledged that having a long distance relationship is not such a good idea, especially if there is no known end-date to the separation. Endless phone calls, expensive plane tickets, low satisfaction - the list of negatives can go on and on. You have to be really very brave and mature to start a serious long distance relationship, even in the age of FaceTime and Skype. Probably the idea of any type of relationship developing and existing solely over the Internet is already enough to turn even the most romantic person into a hopeless pessimist. After all, communication and commitment are already a bit of a challenge when we live in the same geographic area with our partner, so how possibly could anyone expect a positive relationship outcome when face-to-face communication is not an option? Surprisingly to us, a new joint study by Canadian and US scientists came to the conclusion that long distance relationships (or LDRs, as they are sometimes called) don't necessarily spell disaster for your relationship and can actually end up in a happy matrimonial unit. The experts at Queen's University in Ontario, and the University of Utah, closely analyzed more than 700 individuals in long distance relationships, and 425 people in "geographically close relationships." The participants included students and non-students of both genders, and a wide range of actual distances were taken into consideration. First, the participants were asked to answer questions about their attitudes toward long-distance relationships, after which they had to fill out few sets of questionnaires designed to assess the quality of their relationships: An assessment that measures sexual, emotional, social, intellectual and recreational satisfaction; A scale of their commitment; A scale that measures communication levels in a relationship; "Dyadic Adjustment Scale," which measures partners' disagreement on things, such as showing affection or handling finances; "Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale," which analyzes how well partners communicate about their sexual satisfaction; Analysis of female sexual satisfaction; Analysis of male sexual satisfaction;