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Envision having a free evening. You feel energized, open to experience, and hoping to shake up your usual routine of relaxing at home. Your options awaits your choice! Would you prefer a) attending a concert or b) having sex? The response, as frequently the case with these types of hypotheticals, is plainly: “It varies.” Reasonable people may reasonably inquire: what kind of the gig? With whom is the companion? Will it be going to be satisfying?

Few would choose a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the other option was one enchanted evening with Jonathan Bailey. But adjust either end of the scenario, and it turns more complicated. In the case of the 40,000 people asked this question from a major concert promoter, no additional context was offered – and the result emerged decisively and strongly in favour of concerts.

Survey Results Reveal Surprising Choices

A global study, interviewing a large sample ranging from 18 and 54 across different nations, revealed that gigs are now the most popular form of entertainment, beating out athletic events, movies and – absolutely – intimacy. Given the choice to a single form of enjoyment forever, nearly four in ten chose gigs, versus film attendance (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). They were also significantly more as likely to prefer attending their preferred performer on stage (70%) instead of intimacy (30%).

You appear anticipating pleasantly surprised – and regularly you could wind up with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Naturally it's expected that a promotional study carried out for a gig organizer might conclude so strongly in favour of gigs – and, amid the playful spirit of a either-or question, if your favourite artist is, such as an iconic star, one can appreciate why watching him might win out instead of a routine situation. But this two-option scenario between concerts or sexual activity, obviously silly even if it seems, is fascinating to think about given the odd moment we experience with both.

The Evolution of Concert Culture

Over the past few years, concert attendance has grown beyond a group event but a serious endeavor. Event companies rightly note that stadium attendance has “grown significantly each year”, and live events get booked up more rapidly than previously. Merely acquiring passes now demands extensive preparation, instant reactions and significant funds (or a generous credit card limit). Although you manage, it’s not enough to simply turn up and experience the event. There’s now an assumption, particularly with music enthusiasts, that you could increase your return on investment by going multiple times (potentially going abroad), studying the performance lineup ahead of time and memorizing the cues to follow and audience interactions created by previous crowds.

Several attendees describe being shaken by their attendance at large concerts: appearing as a scripted production of massive crowds, in which some individuals came unaware of the routine. That 18-month event, earning massive sums, was proof of the lengths to which fans will travel to participate in a significant event and watch their preferred performer perform, even if the live sound appears more and more less important than the show.

The State of Contemporary Sexuality

Intimacy, on the other hand – an affordable and accessible pleasure – faces difficult times. Per contemporary studies, nearly one in four of adults were intimate in an average week, while just under a third were abstaining. In another major country, current statistics showed that a significant portion of individuals admitted to avoiding sex even once in the past year, up from lower numbers in earlier years. In both territories, the trend has been attributed to decreased encounters among younger people. Compare this with the sector booming for major events and the cutthroat competition for passes. Of course it’s not as simple as a simple decision between either option – “do you prefer attend a huge concert often, or stay celibate?” – but it's possibly an indication of how people see the more reliable pleasure.

Unexpected Similarities

Sex and live music are more similar than you might think. Each symbolizes the activation of a bond, a actual experience of expectations or promise that might have amassed solely in your imagination. You come with a general notion of how it’s likely to go, but anticipating delightfully amazed – and if it turns out satisfying or frustrating depends very much on if your enthusiasm and expectations correspond with partners. Regularly you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and later be waiting around for a smoke and some quiet time on your own. Likewise with either, substances and drinks can either enhance or lessen the experience (but absolutely assist the worst situations more bearable).

Seeking Harmony

The wonder to concerts and intimacy depends on locating that perfect combination between comfort and excitement, similarity and difference, work and relaxation. Of course it happens only rarely – but it's the remembrance of when they did, the understanding that it’s possible, that drives us to try again: to {