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Imagine finding yourself with a free evening. You are energized, eager for new things, and looking to shake up your usual routine of relaxing at home. The world is your oyster! Do you opt for a) attending a concert or b) engaging in intimacy? The answer, as frequently the case with such kinds of hypotheticals, is obviously: “That depends.” Reasonable people could understandably inquire: what's the concert? With whom is the companion? Will it be going to be satisfying?

Not many would choose a intense rock concert if the other option was a dream date with a favorite star. Yet change any part of the equation, and it turns less clearcut. For the participants posed this query through a gig organization, no further details was provided – and the result came out decisively and overwhelmingly supporting live music events.

Research Findings Show Unexpected Trends

A worldwide report, interviewing thousands of participants from 18 and 54 in multiple countries, showed that concerts are now the number one pastime, surpassing sports, films and – absolutely – sexual intercourse. If restricted to a single form of activity permanently, a significant portion chose concerts, against film attendance (17%) and sports events (14%). Participants were significantly more as likely to prefer seeing their favourite artist in concert (70%) over sexual activity (30%).

You arrive expecting to be delightfully amazed – and regularly you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Of course it makes sense that a marketing research commissioned by a concert promoter might conclude so strongly preferring gigs – and, in the freewheeling tone of a either-or question, if your favourite artist is, for example an iconic star, it's understandable why watching him might win out instead of a ordinary experience. But this two-option scenario between gigs or intimacy, obviously silly even if it seems, is noteworthy to think about considering the strange point we experience with each.

The Evolution of Gig Attendance

Lately, concert attendance has evolved into more than a communal experience but a competitive sport. Live organizations rightly note that arena crowds has “increased threefold each year”, and festivals are fully reserved quicker than before. Merely acquiring passes now requires detailed strategy, rapid-fire response times and significant funds (or a high spending capacity). Although you manage, it’s not enough to merely attend and experience the event. There’s now an expectation, particularly with pop fans, that you can boost your enjoyment value by going multiple times (even travelling internationally), swotting up on the set list beforehand and knowing your marks to hit and fan traditions established by earlier audiences.

Numerous attendees report feeling affected by their experience at major tours: what seemed like a orchestrated show of huge audiences, in which some individuals came not knowing the protocol. That 18-month tour, producing huge revenue, demonstrated of the lengths to which attendees will push to experience a historic occasion and see their favourite artist sing, even if the real performance grows somewhat overshadowed by the spectacle.

The State of Current Relationships

Sex, on the other hand – an accessible and available enjoyment – is in dire straits. Per modern research, approximately 25% of individuals engaged sexually in an regular period, while nearly 30% were abstaining. In another major country, modern figures revealed that over a quarter of adults said they had not sex at all in the last twelve months, rising from smaller percentages in previous decades. Across these regions, the trend has been attributed to decreased encounters with younger generations. Compare this with the market booming for large concerts and the intense rivalry for tickets. Naturally it isn't straightforward as a basic option between both alternatives – “would you rather experience a popular event multiple times, or stay celibate?” – but it’s perhaps an sign of what is viewed as the more dependable enjoyment.

Unexpected Similarities

Relationships and gigs are more similar than people often believe. Both represent the commencement of a bond, a real-world test of impressions or promise that may have developed solely in your imagination. You show up with a general notion of what might happen, but hopeful of being pleasantly surprised – and how it ends up satisfying or frustrating depends very much on whether your energy and anticipations align with others. Quite often you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and later be lingering for a smoke and personal space alone. And, in both cases, stimulants and beverages can potentially heighten or detract from the event (but certainly help the worst experiences easier to weather).

Finding the Balance

The magic to concerts and intimacy depends on finding that elusive sweet spot between familiarity and novelty, sameness and variation, work and relaxation. Naturally it's uncommon – but it's the recollection of successful moments, the awareness that it can happen, that drives us to give it another shot: to {