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Imagine finding yourself with a open night. You are refreshed, eager for new things, and looking to break from your usual routine of post-work slumping. The world awaits your choice! Would you opt for a) attending a concert or b) having sex? The outcome, as frequently true with these types of queries, is plainly: “It depends.” Reasonable people could understandably ask: what kind of the concert? Who's the other person? Will it be going to be good?

Few would choose a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the alternative was a magical night with a favorite star. Yet change either end of the scenario, and it grows more complicated. In the case of the 40,000 people presented with this choice from a live event company, no further context was given – and the response came out unambiguously and heavily supporting concerts.

Study Data Show Surprising Preferences

An international study, questioning thousands of participants aged between 18 and 54 in multiple countries, revealed that live music are now the number one leisure activity, surpassing games, movies and – absolutely – sex. Given the choice to a single form of enjoyment for the rest of their lives, nearly four in ten chose live music, against watching movies (17%) and games (14%). The group was significantly more as inclined to prefer attending their preferred performer in concert (70%) rather than intimacy (30%).

You show up hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and frequently you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Certainly it makes sense that a promotional study carried out for a gig organizer should come out so overwhelmingly preferring concerts – and, amid the playful spirit of a would-you-rather, if your favourite artist is, for example a legendary singer, it's understandable why watching him could prevail over a common or garden situation. But this two-option scenario between concerts or intimacy, clearly absurd even if it seems, is noteworthy to reflect on given the odd point we face with these two aspects.

The Transformation of Gig Attendance

Over the past few years, gig-going has evolved into more than a group event but a intense competition. Event companies appropriately highlight that large venue turnout has “grown significantly annually”, and live events get booked up faster than ever. Simply getting passes now needs detailed strategy, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a substantial budget). Though you’re successful, it’s not enough to merely attend and watch the performance. There’s now an assumption, especially for music enthusiasts, that you might enhance your enjoyment value by going multiple times (potentially going abroad), studying the performance lineup beforehand and memorizing the cues to hit and audience interactions developed through previous crowds.

Many concertgoers admit to shaken by their participation at major tours: what seemed like a scripted production of massive crowds, in which particular fans turned up not knowing the steps. The extended tour, generating billions, was proof of the lengths to which people will go to feel part of a cultural moment and watch their preferred performer play, although the real performance seems increasingly overshadowed by the production.

The State of Current Relationships

Sex, conversely – a relatively cheap and available enjoyment – is in dire straits. Based on modern research, approximately 25% of individuals were intimate in an typical week, while just under a third were sexually inactive. Elsewhere, modern figures indicated that more than 25% of individuals admitted to avoiding intimacy even once in the last twelve months, rising from smaller percentages in the past. Across these regions, the shift has been linked to less sexual activity in youth demographics. Juxtapose this with the market booming for major events and the fierce battle for admissions. Of course it’s not as simple as a simple decision between either option – “would you rather see a major tour often, or stay celibate?” – but it's possibly an signal of which is perceived as the more dependable pleasure.

Surprising Parallels

Intimacy and concerts are more comparable than people often believe. They both embody the initiation of a relationship, a actual experience of expectations or possibility that could have built only in your head. You arrive with a basic expectation of what might happen, but hopeful of being happily shocked – and whether it proves enjoyable or disappointing rests largely on if your enthusiasm and hopes match theirs. Regularly you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and afterwards be hanging out for a break and personal space alone. And, in both cases, stimulants and beverages can either enhance or reduce the situation (but absolutely assist the most dire occasions easier to weather).

Seeking Harmony

The appeal to both gigs and sex depends on locating that elusive sweet spot between comfort and excitement, sameness and variation, effort and ease. Certainly it's uncommon – but it's the recollection of when it worked, the knowledge that it’s possible, that motivates us to attempt once more: to {