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Envision finding yourself with a free evening. You feel rejuvenated, open to experience, and wanting to break from your usual routine of relaxing at home. The world awaits your choice! Would you prefer a) attending a concert or b) being with a partner? The answer, as is often true with these sorts of hypotheticals, is clearly: “It depends.” Reasonable people may reasonably inquire: what is the show? Who's the other person? Will it be likely to be enjoyable?

Hardly anyone would choose a intense rock concert if the other option was one enchanted evening with a favorite star. But adjust either end of the comparison, and it grows less clearcut. In the case of the 40,000 people presented with this choice from a major concert promoter, no further context was offered – and the response emerged unambiguously and strongly in favour of concerts.

Research Findings Reveal Interesting Preferences

A global study, interviewing a large sample from 18 and 54 in different nations, showed that gigs have become the number one pastime, beating out athletic events, cinema and – yes – sex. When limited to only one option of activity permanently, 39% of respondents chose gigs, against film attendance (17%) and games (14%). The group was over two times as prone to prefer seeing their favourite artist in concert (70%) instead of intimacy (30%).

You appear expecting to be delightfully amazed – and frequently you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Naturally it’s not surprising that a marketing research commissioned by a gig organizer would result so overwhelmingly preferring gigs – and, amid the playful tone of a would-you-rather, if your top performer is, say an iconic star, one can appreciate why attending his concert may be chosen instead of a routine encounter. But this binary choice between gigs or sexual activity, obviously silly as it is, is interesting to reflect on amid the peculiar moment we’re at with both.

The Transformation of Live Music Experience

Lately, gig-going has grown beyond a shared activity but a serious endeavor. Live organizations appropriately highlight that stadium attendance has “tripled annually”, and festivals are fully reserved quicker than before. Simply getting tickets now needs extensive preparation, rapid-fire response times and bottomless pockets (or a substantial budget). Although you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to simply turn up and experience the event. There’s now an assumption, at least among concertgoers, that you can boost your enjoyment value by attending more than once (potentially going abroad), studying the set list beforehand and understanding the rituals to hit and audience interactions established by earlier audiences.

Several fans admit to scarred by their attendance at popular events: what felt like a orchestrated show of huge audiences, where some individuals turned up unfamiliar with the protocol. Those lengthy concert series, earning massive sums, demonstrated of the lengths to which fans will travel to feel part of a significant event and watch their preferred performer play, though the live sound grows somewhat less important than the spectacle.

The State of Contemporary Sexuality

Sexual activity, by contrast – an accessible and accessible pleasure – experiences difficult times. According to modern research, nearly one in four of people were intimate in an regular period, while nearly 30% were sexually inactive. In a different nation, recent data showed that more than 25% of adults said they had not sex a single time in the past year, rising from lower numbers in the past. Across these regions, the trend has been associated with reduced intimacy in youth demographics. Contrast this with the sector expanding rapidly for stadium extravaganzas and the fierce battle for admissions. Certainly it's more complicated as a basic option between both alternatives – “could you choose see a major tour multiple times, or stay celibate?” – but it's possibly an sign of what is viewed as the more reliable satisfaction.

Surprising Parallels

Sex and live music are more similar than one may assume. Each symbolizes the commencement of a connection, a practical trial of expectations or possibility that might have amassed just in your mind. You show up with a general notion of what might happen, but anticipating happily shocked – and if it turns out satisfying or frustrating depends very much on how your vibe and expectations correspond with partners. Regularly you’ll end up with another person's locks in your mouth, and later be lingering for a cigarette and a moment alone by yourself. Similarly for each, substances and drinks can potentially heighten or detract from the situation (but certainly help the most dire experiences more bearable).

Finding the Balance

The magic to live events and relationships hinges on finding that hard-to-find balance between familiarity and novelty, similarity and difference, work and relaxation. Naturally it occurs infrequently – but it's the recollection of successful moments, the understanding that success is achievable, that drives us to try again: to {