It may sound strange and shocking, but new research has shown that long distance couples create closer bonds. According to scientists, when they are separated, couples make an effort to communicate more and achieve greater intimacy.
“The touch makes the affection” affirms the popular saying. However, this is not always the case, as Crystal Jiang, from the City University of Hong Kong and Jeffrey Hancock, from Cornell University have verified in an investigation on long distance relationships published recently in the journal Journal of Communication . According to their conclusions, people who have relationships over a distance tend to create stronger bonds than normal couples thanks to the fact that communication is more constant and deep.
According to Jiang, although our culture emphasizes being together physically, “people should not be so pessimistic about long-distance relationships” as these couples “ try harder than people who are geographically close when it comes to communicating love and affection. , and that has its reward ”, he points out.
To carry out the research, the scientists analyzed the behavior of different couples, both close and distant. When comparing the communication between the two types, they observed that in the couples separated in the distance there was a more intimate affective bond, mainly for two reasons: the tendency to try to get to know each other more thoroughly and the idealization of the other’s behaviors. In addition, these two facts were more evident in communication based on written texts , such as emails and mobile messages, as efforts to overcome communication limitations increased.
