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Imagine being gifted with a night off. You are rejuvenated, open to experience, and hoping to change your usual routine of evening scrolling. The world awaits your choice! Do you choose a) going to a gig or b) engaging in intimacy? The answer, as typically seen with these sorts of queries, is obviously: “That depends.” Thinking adults could understandably ask: what's the gig? With whom is the other person? Could it be expected to be enjoyable?

Hardly anyone would select a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the alternative was a dream date with Jonathan Bailey. Yet change any part of the equation, and it turns less clearcut. In the case of the participants presented with this choice from a gig organization, no additional context was given – and the response was revealed clearly and overwhelmingly in favour of concerts.

Survey Results Reveal Interesting Choices

A worldwide report, questioning 40,000 people aged between 18 and 54 in multiple countries, revealed that gigs currently stand as the world’s top form of entertainment, beating out athletic events, cinema and – indeed – intimacy. When limited to a single form of activity forever, a significant portion chose gigs, compared to film attendance (17%) and sports events (14%). The group was over two times as prone to select watching their top musician live (70%) rather than intimacy (30%).

You show up expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and regularly you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Certainly it's expected that a marketing research conducted for a live event company would result so strongly in favour of concerts – and, in the freewheeling mood of a either-or question, if your top performer is, such as a legendary singer, it's understandable why seeing him may be chosen rather than a routine encounter. However this binary choice between live music or intimacy, clearly absurd though it may be, is interesting to consider amid the peculiar moment we experience with these two aspects.

The Change of Concert Culture

In recent years, live music participation has become not just a communal experience but a competitive sport. Live organizations appropriately highlight that stadium attendance has “tripled year-over-year”, and live events sell out more rapidly than previously. Merely acquiring admissions now requires extensive preparation, instant reactions and deep finances (or a substantial budget). Even if you manage, it isn't sufficient to simply turn up and experience the event. Currently there is an expectation, particularly with concertgoers, that you can boost your enjoyment value by attending more than once (even travelling internationally), swotting up on the song selection in advance and understanding the rituals to hit and calls-and-responses established by previous crowds.

Many fans report feeling scarred by their attendance at large concerts: what felt like a orchestrated show of thousands of people, in which some individuals arrived unfamiliar with the protocol. The extended event, generating billions, demonstrated of the lengths to which fans will travel to experience a historic occasion and experience their top musician sing, though the live sound seems increasingly secondary to the show.

The State of Contemporary Sexuality

Sex, on the other hand – an affordable and common experience – experiences challenging circumstances. Per recent surveys, nearly one in four of adults were intimate in an typical week, while nearly 30% were abstaining. In a different nation, current statistics showed that over a quarter of adults said they had not intimacy at all in the past year, up from fewer people in earlier years. Across these regions, the trend has been linked to less sexual activity with younger generations. Contrast this with the industry expanding rapidly for large concerts and the fierce battle for admissions. Certainly it isn't straightforward as a straightforward choice between either option – “could you choose experience a popular event multiple times, or stay celibate?” – but it’s perhaps an signal of what is viewed as the more reliable pleasure.

Unexpected Similarities

Intimacy and concerts are closer aligned than people often believe. Each symbolizes the activation of a bond, a practical trial of impressions or potential that could have built solely in your imagination. You come with a basic expectation of what might happen, but hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and how it ends up satisfying or frustrating 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 hanging out for a break and personal space by yourself. Likewise with either, substances and drinks can either enhance or lessen the experience (but certainly help the most unpleasant experiences easier to weather).

Achieving Equilibrium

The wonder to concerts and intimacy hinges on discovering that elusive sweet spot between comfort and excitement, sameness and variation, work and relaxation. Of course it occurs infrequently – but it's the remembrance of when they did, the understanding that it can happen, that drives us to try again: to {