Long-distance relationships can work, but often only if you've been deprived of normal relationships, you live in relative sociosexual isolation, and/or have never been in a sexual relationship with someone.

On the plus side, if you have a partner as equally devoted, and you know for a fact that you can both keep the relationship alive, overcoming the trials and temptations of a long-term relationship may likely make challenges when you are face to face so much easier. It will take constant responsiveness, devotion, selflessness, and mutual presence. Fortunately, with webcams, cell phones, online chat, virtual communities, computer microphones, UPS, and cheap airfares, maintaining interaction and a sense of togetherness is a lot easier than it has ever been, from prehistoric times to the days when people only spoke by phone and mailed letters back and forth.

On the negative side, one person may let the relationship slide, either through pessimism or time-diminished emotions and empathy, That person may fail to write as much, call, travel, send gifts, listen, and so on. When this happens, the other person needs to either encourage a return to the same level of mutual commitment, accept this new level of interaction, or move on.

Or, one person might be keeping up the same level of passion in the relationship, while beginning an illicit relationship in the city he or she lives. Cues and clues might be there, or the deception could be flawless, but devastating, when finally revealed.

And last of all, suspicion and mistrust can arise when one cannot read signals from such a distance, or misinterprets them. Sometimes a good relationship can be so weakened by mistrust and constant accusations that the accused party will partially or wholly withdraw from the relationship.

If you already have a long-distance relationship going, and you have the full trust and love of your partner, I would keep it going as long as you could. But if you are on the outs, or you have just left such a relationship, I would look locally. The pain of isolation can be tremendous at the same time it can be easily cured. Some of the best relationships come from friendships, and if you can find several friends to do things with while you keep your eye peeled for your sweetheart, it makes the time go by so much more pleasantly than a time-gnawing sit in front of a phone or computer.