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Envision finding yourself with a open night. You feel energized, ready for adventure, and hoping to change your usual routine of relaxing at home. Your options awaits your choice! Would you opt for a) seeing live music or b) having sex? The response, as frequently true with these sorts of questions, is plainly: “It depends.” Thinking adults might logically wonder: what's the concert? Who is the companion? Is it likely to be enjoyable?

Not many would choose a heavy metal lineup if the other option was a magical night with a beloved celebrity. Yet change any part of the comparison, and it grows less clearcut. In the case of the 40,000 people posed this query from a gig organization, no such context was offered – and the result was revealed clearly and heavily supporting concerts.

Research Findings Show Interesting Preferences

An international survey, interviewing thousands of participants from 18 and 54 in 15 markets, showed that gigs currently stand as the most popular pastime, surpassing games, cinema and – indeed – sex. If restricted to a single form of enjoyment forever, 39% of respondents chose concerts, versus film attendance (17%) and games (14%). Participants were more than twice as likely to prefer watching their top musician on stage (70%) instead of sexual activity (30%).

You arrive expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and frequently you could wind up with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Certainly it makes sense that a PR survey carried out for a live event company should come out so heavily preferring gigs – and, in the freewheeling spirit of a either-or question, if your favourite artist is, such as a legendary singer, it's understandable why watching him might win out rather than a ordinary encounter. Yet this either-or decision between gigs or sexual activity, obviously silly even if it seems, is noteworthy to reflect on amid the peculiar point we face with these two aspects.

The Transformation of Gig Attendance

Lately, gig-going has grown beyond a group event but a serious endeavor. Live organizations rightly note that arena crowds has “increased threefold annually”, and music festivals are fully reserved quicker than before. Simply getting passes now needs extensive preparation, instant reactions and deep finances (or a high spending capacity). Though you manage, it’s not enough to merely attend and watch the performance. Currently there is an expectation, at least among music enthusiasts, that you could increase your return on investment by attending more than once (including overseas trips), learning the set list beforehand and understanding the rituals to hit and audience interactions established by past attendees.

Numerous concertgoers describe being affected by their participation at popular events: what felt like a orchestrated show of huge audiences, in which some individuals came unfamiliar with the steps. The extended concert series, producing huge revenue, was proof of the degree to which attendees will push to participate in a historic occasion and see their favourite artist perform, though the live sound grows somewhat secondary to the spectacle.

The State of Modern Intimacy

Intimacy, conversely – a relatively cheap and accessible pleasure – is in dire straits. Based on recent surveys, approximately 25% of individuals engaged sexually in an average week, while nearly 30% were sexually inactive. In a different nation, recent data indicated that a significant portion of adults said they had not intimacy even once in the previous year, increasing from lower numbers in previous decades. Across these regions, the change has been attributed to less sexual activity among younger people. Compare this with the market booming for major events and the intense rivalry for tickets. Naturally it isn't straightforward as a straightforward choice between both alternatives – “could you choose see a major tour often, or remain abstinent?” – but it’s perhaps an sign of what is viewed as the more reliable pleasure.

Surprising Parallels

Intimacy and concerts are more similar than people often believe. Both represent the commencement of a connection, a actual experience of impressions or potential that might have amassed just in your mind. You arrive with a basic expectation of what might happen, but hopeful of being happily shocked – and how it ends up good or bad relies heavily on whether your energy and anticipations match theirs. Regularly you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and afterwards be hanging out for a smoke and some quiet time by yourself. Similarly for each, stimulants and beverages can sometimes improve or reduce the experience (but definitely make the most dire experiences simpler to handle).

Achieving Equilibrium

The appeal to both gigs and sex relies on locating that hard-to-find balance between comfort and excitement, similarity and difference, work and relaxation. Of course it occurs infrequently – but it's the recollection of when it worked, the knowledge that it can happen, that drives us to try again: to {