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Picture having a open night. You feel energized, open to experience, and looking to shake up your usual routine of post-work slumping. The world offers possibilities! Would you prefer a) seeing live music or b) engaging in intimacy? The outcome, as typically true with such kinds of queries, is obviously: “It depends.” Mature individuals might logically wonder: what's the show? Who's the partner? Could it be likely to be good?

Not many would choose a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the choice was a dream date with a favorite star. However tweak one side of the equation, and it becomes more complicated. In the case of the participants asked this question by a gig organization, no additional context was given – and the response came out unambiguously and heavily in favour of concerts.

Study Data Indicate Surprising Choices

A global study, polling 40,000 people ranging from 18 and 54 across multiple countries, showed that gigs are now the number one form of entertainment, ranking above sports, films and – absolutely – sex. If restricted to only one option of enjoyment forever, a significant portion chose concerts, compared to watching movies (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). They were also more than twice as likely to select seeing their favourite artist in concert (70%) over sexual activity (30%).

You show up hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and regularly you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Of course it's expected that a PR survey carried out for a gig organizer might conclude so overwhelmingly in favour of concerts – and, in the freewheeling tone of a hypothetical choice, if your preferred musician is, for example Paul McCartney, it's understandable why attending his concert might win out rather than a ordinary encounter. However this either-or decision between live music or sex, clearly absurd even if it seems, is interesting to think about amid the peculiar juncture we’re at with each.

The Evolution of Concert Culture

Over the past few years, gig-going has grown beyond a shared activity but a intense competition. Major promoters rightly note that stadium attendance has “grown significantly annually”, and music festivals sell out more rapidly than previously. Just obtaining tickets now needs military-level planning, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a generous credit card limit). Even if you manage, that alone won't do to merely attend and watch the performance. Currently there is an assumption, especially for concertgoers, that you can boost your enjoyment value by attending more than once (potentially going abroad), learning the performance lineup beforehand and understanding the rituals to follow and audience interactions established by past attendees.

Numerous fans report feeling scarred by their participation at major tours: what seemed like a orchestrated show of huge audiences, to which certain attendees came unaware of the steps. Those lengthy event, generating billions, showed of the lengths to which people will go to participate in a significant event and experience their top musician play, although the real performance appears more and more less important than the spectacle.

The Situation of Contemporary Sexuality

Intimacy, conversely – a relatively cheap and available enjoyment – is in challenging circumstances. According to modern research, about a quarter of individuals engaged sexually in an regular period, while nearly 30% were not engaging. In another major country, current statistics revealed that over a quarter of individuals admitted to avoiding intimacy a single time in the previous year, increasing from lower numbers in previous decades. Across these regions, the trend has been linked to less sexual activity with younger generations. Compare this with the sector booming for major events and the intense rivalry for tickets. Of course it’s not as simple as a straightforward choice between either option – “could you choose see a major tour often, or avoid intimacy?” – but it's possibly an signal of what is viewed as the more consistent satisfaction.

Interesting Comparisons

Intimacy and concerts are closer aligned than people often believe. Both represent the activation of a bond, a real-world test of ideas or potential that could have built only in your head. You come with a basic expectation of the probable outcome, but expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and whether it proves good or bad depends very much on if your enthusiasm and anticipations match theirs. Regularly you could wind up with another person's locks in your mouth, and later be waiting around for a break and personal space by yourself. Similarly for each, substances and drinks can sometimes improve or lessen the situation (but absolutely assist the worst occasions more bearable).

Achieving Equilibrium

The magic to live events and relationships relies on finding that hard-to-find balance between the known and the new, consistency and change, challenge and comfort. Of course it's uncommon – but it's the recollection of when it worked, the knowledge that it’s possible, that motivates us to try again: to {