NAMED NATIONAL FOUR-YEAR DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR FOR 2020-21 IN THE COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATION’S PINNACLE AWARDS
Thursday, March 9, 2023
Volume 160 No. 19 WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY
SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
ILLUSTRATION BY CAROLYN BROWN
Long distance: loving from afar SJSU students reflect on the ups and downs of long-distance relationships. Psychology assistant professor highlights the science behind proximity. By Brandon Nicolas STAFF WRITER
Studies show that 32.4% of romantically involved college students are in a long-distance relationship, according to a 2021 National Library of Medicine survey. This means a significant number of San Jose State students in a romantic relationship, are in a long-distance relationship. Nacho Morales, communication studies junior and an international student from Spain, is one of those students. “Don’t get confused because it’s really difficult,” said Morales. “There are people that try to romanticize long-distance relationships – there is more bad things than good.”
that partner being very close and doing things that, if you were in the same room, would be very easy,” Papa said. “Sitting side by side or putting your arm around one another – literally feeling the person’s heat releases internal experiences that are different from seeing someone virtually.” The adult attachment theory analyzes the emotional bond between romantic relationships. “The emotional bond that develops between adult romantic partners is partly a function of the same motivational system – the attachment behavioral system – that gives rise to the emotional bond between infants and their caregivers,” according to an overview of the theory by R. Chris Fraley psychology professor at
One of the struggles was learning communication – understanding that our schedules are different and understanding we have to communicate when we are available or how we are feeling that day because we aren’t close to one another. Katherine Hayden professional and technical writing junior
Psychology assistant professor Lesther Papa said proximity is one element that makes long-distance relationships challenging. “If it is somebody that you are very close to and emotionally attached to, then, there are chemicals in your body that released associated with pleasure, relaxation – things that are happy,” Papa said. He said, with the loss of physical proximity, emotional proximity must take its place for long distance to work. “You have to use that proximity of thinking about
University of Illinois. “Attachment styles are basically a blueprint for how you connect with people,” Papa said. In January, Morales moved into the International House, leaving his partner back home in Spain. The International House is a residency near SJSU that accommodates international students from 20 to 35 different countries each semester. RELATIONSHIPS | Page 2