The trend of couples living in separate houses is gaining traction. Adepts claim that living separately has improved their relationship.
After the “sleep divorce” – with couples choosing to sleep in separate rooms due to resonate – or even the “bathroom divorce” – where couples choose to have separate bathrooms due to their distinct preferences in the organization and cleaning of space – some are taking this trend further and prefer to choose “Living Apart Together” (LAT).
This lifestyle translates to “living separately together” and consists of couples that are rewriting the traditional rules of relationships, opting to live in separate homesnot out of necessity, but willingly. The trend is gaining strength in the United States, with 3.9 million Americans currently living separated from their spouses, according to US Census Bureau.
For Atlanta’s Loran and Maurice Wilson, Lat only strengthened his five -year marriage. The couple lives 20 minutes awayspending weekdays at home and weekends together. “It doesn’t mean we’re divorcing or going out with other people,” said Loran, 38, by “living separately helps us grow as individuals and as a couple.” The two fall asleep every night on facetime, watching programs and reading the Bible together.
LAT arrangements offer the benefits of intimacy without the potential tension of constant proximity. “It is about collaborating to set up the puzzle of a strong and passionate relationship, without having to abdicate in a way of life It is valued, ”says sociologist and expert in Pepper Schwartz, who lived separately from her husband for more than two decades.
The reasons for adopting the Lat lifestyle vary a lot, from logistical concerns such as jobs or children of previous marriages to the simple desire for personal space.
Content creator Susan Lehman, 44, and her husband Matt, married since 2004, have now lived separately on the same property – she in an apartment over the garage, he at the family home. Despite the unconventional configuration, your connection is only deepened. “Every morning I go to his house, I wake up with massages, we talked, take breakfast,” says Lehman. “It has been amazing for our relationship.”
The relationship coach Jennifer Hurvitz agrees, noting that the absence can indeed make the heart more in love. Lat, says Hurvitz, can rekindle passion and preserve individuality-especially for middle-aged couples seeking an emotional connection without compromising independence.
Even celebrities adopted Lat, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Will Smith and Sheryl Lee Ralph, each Keep residences separate of your spouses.
In an age where the success of relationships is no longer meant by proximity, LAT couples are proving that love does not always need to live under the same roof to prosper.
