NEW YORK — It may take a lot of work, a lot of faith, and a heck of a commitment to make a long-distance relationship work, but new research may bring a sliver of encouragement to those questioning whether or not to give it shot.
According to a survey of 1,000 American adults who have been in a long-distance distance relationships, nearly six in 10 (58 percent) have found success in dating from afar.
The study, commissioned by interactive sex toy company KIIROO, also helped define what a long-distance relationship truly means. Averaging the responses from the participants, they calculated that “long-distance” require one to live at least 132 miles from his or her significant other.
While most partners are optimistic at the outset of the long-distance relationship, the four-month mark is when the distance becomes challenging, the survey showed. After eight months, the lifestyle becomes a piece of cake.
Interestingly, about half of the respondents said they met their partner online, and 27 percent of them said they never lived close to them to begin with.
So what’s the key to success? Cellphones, for one thing. The couples in the survey reported they sent their significant others 343 texts per week on average — or 49 per day — and spent about eight hours a week talking to each other on the phone or via video chat.
Still, these modes of communication don’t replace physical presence. Two-thirds of the respondents agreed that the long-distance travel was the most challenging aspect of their relationship. Three in 10 said they missed the sex the most.
“As the world becomes more and more digitally connected and we see ourselves drifting further and further apart, the adoption of technology to forge new and better ways to communicate has become imminent,” says Toon Timmermans, CEO of KIIROO, in a statement. “We forge new relationships online more now, than ever before. From the results of this study, we see that technology in any shape or form is being used by long-distance relationships to feel closer, to feel loved and to attempt help ease sexual tensions that may arise due to the distance.”
There were some other positives to living far from a partner. Fifty-five percent said the time apart from one another made them feel closer, and 81 percent agreed that it actually made the moments together more intimate.
Perhaps the biggest surprise finding of all: about seven in 10 said they actually talked to their significant other more while they lived apart.
The survey was conducted by research firm OnePoll in October 2018.