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Picture being gifted with a free evening. You feel refreshed, eager for new things, and hoping to break from your regular habits of relaxing at home. The world is your oyster! Would you opt for a) going to a gig or b) engaging in intimacy? The answer, as is often true with such kinds of hypotheticals, is obviously: “That depends.” Thinking adults might logically inquire: what is the concert? Who's the partner? Is it expected to be good?

Hardly anyone would choose a heavy metal lineup if the other option was a dream date with a beloved celebrity. Yet change any part of the scenario, and it becomes less clearcut. For the thousands surveyed presented with this choice by a gig organization, no further clarification was given – and the answer came out unambiguously and strongly preferring gigs.

Survey Results Reveal Unexpected Preferences

An international survey, questioning a large sample ranging from 18 and 54 in 15 markets, revealed that live music are now the number one form of entertainment, beating out sports, cinema and – absolutely – sexual intercourse. When limited to only one option of enjoyment forever, nearly four in ten selected live music, compared to going to the cinema (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). The group was significantly more as prone to choose watching their top musician live (70%) over intimacy (30%).

You appear expecting to be happily shocked – and regularly you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Certainly it's expected that a promotional study carried out for a live event company should come out so heavily preferring live shows – and, with the speculative mood of a would-you-rather, if your top performer is, such as a legendary singer, one can appreciate why watching him may be chosen rather than a common or garden experience. But this either-or decision between live music or intimacy, plainly ridiculous as it is, is noteworthy to consider amid the peculiar moment we experience with these two aspects.

The Change of Concert Culture

In recent years, live music participation has grown beyond a shared activity but a competitive sport. Live organizations appropriately highlight that large venue turnout has “grown significantly year-over-year”, and festivals sell out faster than ever. Just obtaining tickets now requires military-level planning, quick decision-making and significant funds (or a generous credit card limit). Even if you’re successful, it’s not enough to simply turn up and experience the event. There’s now an expectation, especially for pop fans, that you could increase your enjoyment value by going multiple times (potentially going abroad), studying the set list in advance and memorizing the cues to hit and calls-and-responses developed through previous crowds.

Several fans admit to scarred by their participation at major tours: what felt like a orchestrated show of massive crowds, to which particular fans came unfamiliar with the protocol. The extended event, producing huge revenue, showed of the extents that people will go to experience a historic occasion and watch their preferred performer play, even if the real performance appears more and more less important than the show.

The State of Contemporary Sexuality

Sexual activity, on the other hand – an affordable and common experience – faces dire straits. According to recent surveys, approximately 25% of people had sex in an average week, while about three in ten were abstaining. Elsewhere, modern figures revealed that a significant portion of adults said they had not sex at all in the previous year, increasing from smaller percentages in the past. Across these regions, the change has been linked to decreased encounters among younger people. Compare this with the sector expanding rapidly for stadium extravaganzas and the intense rivalry for tickets. Naturally it isn't straightforward as a basic option between either option – “could you choose attend a huge concert multiple times, or stay celibate?” – but it's possibly an indication of what is viewed as the more consistent satisfaction.

Interesting Comparisons

Intimacy and concerts are more similar than you might think. They both embody the initiation of a connection, a actual experience of expectations or promise that could have built solely in your imagination. You arrive with a general notion of what might happen, but anticipating delightfully amazed – and if it turns out enjoyable or disappointing rests largely on if your enthusiasm and expectations align with others. Regularly you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and following be lingering for a cigarette and some quiet time by yourself. And, in both cases, substances and drinks can either enhance or detract from the experience (but absolutely assist the most unpleasant occasions more bearable).

Achieving Equilibrium

The magic to both gigs and sex hinges on discovering that perfect combination between the known and the new, similarity and difference, effort and ease. Of course it happens only rarely – but it's the remembrance of when it worked, the knowledge that it can happen, that inspires us to give it another shot: to {