Many people in relationships believe they are destined to be with their partner, and that they are soul mates who found one another through an act of destiny. With a world population of over 7 billion and growing, it is likely there will be at least one person whose path you cross with whom you can connect and build a romantic relationship. Proximity, or physical nearness, makes it easier and more convenient for two people to become involved. Being close on a regular basis allows people to get to know each other, increases comfortability, and encourages romantic inclinations as thoughts of that certain someone are usually somewhere in the back of one's mind, fueled by being together often.
The concept of proximity influencing attraction is represented in popular culture. In the Taylor Swift music video "You Belong With Me," next-door neighbors fall in love as a result of writing to each other from their windows. In the movie "What's Your Number?" Colin and Ally live across the hall from one another, so he uses her apartment as a hideout from his one-night-stands. This causes them to spend a lot of time together and ultimately fall in love. In "Teenage Dirtbag," two students who sit at the same table in study hall end up falling in love after passing notes every day. Viewing proximity from another angle, long-distance relationships are generally less successful than short-distance ones. Whether it's the extra effort needed to communicate, lack of interaction, or attraction to someone who is more accessible, relationships involving physical separation tend to be more difficult.
Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding, Chapter 11, Page 444