A TikTok video posted by creator @taya_lex on April 23, 2026, shows her sharing a theory about long-distance relationships. The video drew about 1.6 million views and more than 239,300 likes at the time of publication.
The TikToker says her theory “is purely based on my own observations and experiences.” She believes most long-distance relationships, or “most of them at least,” will “end up in marriage.”
Her first example is her own relationship. She says she was in a long-distance relationship and dated her partner for about nine months before they got engaged. They married about six months later. “And that was quite fast,” she says.
She recalls that she and her partner spent a significant amount of time talking on the phone. “All we could do was talk about who we were, what we were feeling, what we were doing." She lists “our values, our priorities, our passions, our dreams, our vision,” and says they quickly found they were aligned.
The TikToker argues that phone conversations without distractions lead to deeper topics sooner. “I think that when there’s no distractions to conversation, you end up getting onto deep topics a lot quicker,” she says.
@taya_lex I only spent time with my now husband 3x before he flew and moved to the UK and proposed to me… (This is a theory and obviously I know is not the case for everyone!!) saw that @theelijahgauldin agrees! haha idk I think it’s something to think about #longdistancerelationship #marriage #theory #conversation
♬ original sound - Taya
She then says people in long-distance relationships have to think about how much “time, energy, money and effort” they spend on a partner. Each person wants to find out quickly whether the other deserves that investment. A partner willing to pay for flights or train tickets shows commitment, in her view.
Those sacrifices and compromises show that a couple can “make a life together work.” A long-distance couple that stays together without marrying is “absolutely inspirational, mind-boggling,” she says. In her view, marriage for those couples “makes so much sense.”
She adds that a couple should enjoy talking with each other. A person should want to spend a lifetime with someone “you can talk and yap to and have a laugh with. I don’t know if you believe in my theory or not, but that’s my theory."
A viewer offered a different account of how long these relationships tend to last. “Better take on this. Long-distance relationships more often end within under 3 months and the ones that don’t last until marriage,” they wrote.
Another described how infrequent visits affected a long-distance relationship. “I did long distance and it lasted way longer than it should have,” a commenter wrote. They said infrequent visits kept them from noticing their partner’s habits. “I didn’t see them enough to realise how irritating they were,” the commenter added.
One viewer announced a wedding date after a long-distance courtship.
“Did long distance for 1 year, proposed a year later & getting married in 3 days!!” the commenter wrote.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the claims described in this TikTok. The details above reflect @taya_lex’s account as shared on TikTok. Her identity, her marriage and the commenters’ identities have not been confirmed.
