Long-distance relationships, prior to our current technology, were strenuous. With our current-day technology, we have easy access to Skype, FaceTime, or simple texts conversations and phone calls. Long-distance relationships to the modern college student have become significantly easier.

Laura Staffor and James R. Reske studied long-distance relationships in their journal titled “Idealization and Communication in Long-Distance Premarital Relationships”. They found that couples participating in long-distance relationships reported higher relationship satisfaction than couples in geographic proximal relationships.

Being in a long-distance relationship myself, I have first-hand knowledge on how these once emotionally painful relationships have progressed into only mildly emotionally painful.

While texting and the ability to call one another has been around for some time, there have been advances making these methods even better. For instance, camera phones give you opportunity to snap pictures to each other. Couples are now able to send little moments from throughout their day. This helps significantly with feeling less isolation from your partner.

The introduction of cameras facing you on your phone, as well as on the back of the phone, brought in the use of FaceTime. It’s basically like calling your boyfriend or girlfriend except you are greeted with their face rather than just their voice. Being able to have that face-to-face interaction, while also being miles and miles apart, brings comfort.

Computers have had technology upgrades helping long-distance communication thrive as well. Before WiFi, or even laptops for that matter, couples were restricted to where and when they could talk to one other. My personal favorite out of communication methods happens to be Skype. Without a camera on my laptop, or copious amounts of places with the Internet, Skype would not exist.

With the Internet now having the ability to connect wirelessly, couples are able to experience more together. In the past, your boyfriend would just have to explain the gorgeous Florida sunset but now he could just turn the screen and you can enjoy it together.

Also in the past, couples that were separated for some time would frequently fall asleep on the phone together. As adorable as the concept is, that would seriously rack up your phone bill, especially if your relationship is stretched internationally. Skype may not have the best quality all the time, but couples are now able to talk face-to-face without any charge.

Skype has also dramatically increased abilities to combat nighttime loneliness. I know that while having visits with my boyfriend are so blissful, anxiety can follow once I’m back to sleeping alone. Now, my boyfriend can call me on Skype and we can fall asleep virtually next to each other. Of course it is always better to physically be together, when that is not an option, Skype is a phenomenal upgrade from an expensive phone call.

Long-distance relationships, contrary to popular belief, hold many advantages when compared to couples in close proximity.

Kelli Anne Gardner, a former Iowa State student, writes in her 2005 thesis that “people in long distance relationships may acknowledge that there are many disadvantages in their relationships, but believe that enduring the disadvantages is worth it because the relationships are highly satisfying.”

One of the hardest disadvantages is trust. I cannot lie and say I’ve never been worried about getting cheated on. After all, the chances of your partner ever finding out are pretty slim. However, most couples that decide to stay together while being physically apart are pretty serious about one another.

With the serious commitment mentality, couples in long-distance relationships are able to build a strong trust foundation. When couples achieve strong trustworthiness while apart, the suspicions of infidelity hardly appear once you’re reunited for good. Ultimately, gaining that trust may be difficult, but once it’s there your relationship will prosper.

Healthy trust levels also allow couples to flourish as individuals. Being college students, this is our prime time to discover who we are and what we want in life. With long-distance relationships, couples are able to “find themselves” without having to constantly worry about whether your partner follows along the same path.

Communication has improved dramatically, so with that addition couples can go through daily life learning more about themselves without being smothered. At the same time, you could easily reach your partner if it’s needed. With long-distance relationships, there is no need for “space” because space is all you have. It may seem like a disadvantage, but with how taxing college can be I have the freedom to be alone for a few hours or call my boyfriend on Skype for a venting session.

Basically, the excuse of long-distance relationships being too hard to maintain is becoming less valid. Thanks to technology, it’s hardly like there’s distance at all.