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Envision finding yourself with a open night. You are refreshed, open to experience, and looking to break from your typical schedule of post-work slumping. Life itself is your oyster! Do you choose a) seeing live music or b) engaging in intimacy? The response, as typically seen with such kinds of queries, is plainly: “It depends.” Thinking adults may reasonably ask: what kind of the gig? Who's the companion? Will it be likely to be good?

Not many would select a intense rock concert if the other option was a magical night with a favorite star. Yet change any part of the equation, and it grows less obvious. For the participants presented with this choice by a major concert promoter, no such details was provided – and the response was revealed unambiguously and strongly in favour of concerts.

Study Data Reveal Interesting Choices

A global survey, polling thousands of participants from 18 and 54 from different nations, showed that gigs are now the number one pastime, ranking above games, cinema and – absolutely – sex. If restricted to one type of entertainment permanently, a significant portion selected live music, against watching movies (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). They were also over two times as prone to choose attending their preferred performer live (70%) over intimacy (30%).

You arrive expecting to be happily shocked – and frequently you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Of course it's expected that a marketing research conducted for a live event company might conclude so strongly preferring gigs – and, amid the playful mood of a would-you-rather, if your top performer is, say Paul McCartney, one can appreciate why attending his concert might win out over a common or garden experience. But this binary choice between gigs or intimacy, plainly ridiculous as it is, is interesting to reflect on given the odd moment we face with each.

The Transformation of Concert Culture

In recent years, concert attendance has grown beyond a communal experience but a competitive sport. Event companies duly point out that large venue turnout has “tripled year-over-year”, and live events get booked up quicker than before. Simply getting tickets now needs extensive preparation, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a generous credit card limit). Though you succeed, it isn't sufficient to simply turn up and experience the event. Currently there is an expectation, particularly with pop fans, that you might enhance your return on investment by seeing several shows (including overseas trips), studying the set list in advance and memorizing the cues to follow and fan traditions developed through previous crowds.

Several concertgoers describe being scarred by their experience at popular events: what felt like a scripted production of huge audiences, to which certain attendees arrived not knowing the routine. That 18-month tour, producing huge revenue, demonstrated of the extents that people will go to feel part of a significant event and see their favourite artist sing, even if the live sound grows somewhat secondary to the show.

The Condition of Contemporary Sexuality

Intimacy, on the other hand – a relatively cheap and available enjoyment – experiences dire straits. Per modern research, about a quarter of individuals were intimate in an regular period, while nearly 30% were not engaging. In a different nation, modern figures indicated that a significant portion of people reported not having sex a single time in the past year, up from smaller percentages in previous decades. Across these regions, the shift has been attributed to reduced intimacy with younger generations. Contrast this with the sector booming for large concerts and the intense rivalry for admissions. Of course it's more complicated as a basic option between one or the other – “could you choose experience a popular event often, or remain abstinent?” – but it's possibly an indication of how people see the more reliable satisfaction.

Unexpected Similarities

Sex and live music are more similar than you might think. Each symbolizes the commencement of a bond, a actual experience of impressions or promise that could have built solely in your imagination. You arrive with some idea of the probable outcome, but expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and how it ends up enjoyable or disappointing relies heavily on how your vibe and expectations align with others. Regularly you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and afterwards be lingering for a cigarette and some quiet time alone. Likewise with either, substances and drinks can sometimes improve or reduce the event (but definitely make the most dire situations simpler to handle).

Finding the Balance

The magic to live events and relationships relies on finding that hard-to-find balance between familiarity and novelty, sameness and variation, challenge and comfort. Naturally it happens only rarely – but it's the recollection of when they did, the awareness that success is achievable, that inspires us to give it another shot: to {