Currently, many couples have to live apart because of work. Some go to work in other provinces, others stay to take care of their families, making meetings, common meals or everyday interactions between husband and wife increasingly less frequent.
Psychologist Mai Ngoc Quyen - NHC Vietnam Center for Human Development and Psychology - believes that geographical distance does not make a marriage distant by itself. What is more worrying is the lack of emotional connection between two people.
When a person goes to work far away, husband and wife lose many everyday interactions that seem very small but play an important role in maintaining the feeling of attachment. It can be a meal together, a hug, a look, or simply seeing the face of a partner to recognize whether they are happy or tired today," the expert analyzed.
These emotional signals help two people continuously adjust their behavior and maintain the feeling that they are still present in each other's lives.
When living apart, communication often shifts to functional information such as children, money, work, home schedules or things to buy. Two people can still talk a lot but are increasingly rarely actually meeting each other emotionally.
From there, a paradox easily appears: still husband and wife but starting to live as two independent people.
Another factor that can increase the distance is the feeling of insecurity. When not knowing what the other person is doing or experiencing, each person easily uses their imagination to fill the information gap.
Expert Mai Ngoc Quyen emphasized that people who tend to be anxious can easily reason, control or be jealous. Meanwhile, people who tend to avoid may become more withdrawn and less sharing. Therefore, what needs to be maintained in a long-distance marriage is not only regular contact but more importantly the feeling of belonging to each other.
