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Envision finding yourself with a free evening. You're feeling energized, ready for adventure, and looking to change your usual routine of post-work slumping. Life itself is your oyster! Could you opt for a) going to a gig or b) having sex? The answer, as is often the case with these types of hypotheticals, is obviously: “That depends.” Thinking adults might logically ask: what's the concert? Who is the companion? Could it be likely to be satisfying?

Not many would select a intense rock concert if the alternative was a magical night with a beloved celebrity. However tweak any part of the comparison, and it turns more complicated. For the 40,000 people asked this question through a gig organization, no further clarification was offered – and the result emerged unambiguously and strongly in favour of gigs.

Research Findings Indicate Interesting Choices

A worldwide survey, questioning 40,000 people ranging from 18 and 54 in multiple countries, found that concerts currently stand as the number one pastime, beating out athletic events, movies and – absolutely – intimacy. If restricted to only one option of entertainment permanently, 39% of respondents picked gigs, compared to watching movies (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). Participants were significantly more as likely to select attending their preferred performer in concert (70%) instead of sex (30%).

You appear hopeful of being pleasantly surprised – and frequently you might find with another person's locks in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Naturally it’s not surprising that a promotional study carried out for a concert promoter should come out so strongly in favour of live shows – and, in the freewheeling tone of a would-you-rather, if your preferred musician is, for example an iconic star, you can see why attending his concert might win out over a routine experience. However this either-or decision between concerts or sexual activity, obviously silly as it is, is interesting to think about given the odd point we face with these two aspects.

The Change of Gig Attendance

In recent years, concert attendance has grown beyond a group event but a intense competition. Event companies duly point out that stadium attendance has “tripled annually”, and festivals get booked up faster than ever. Just obtaining admissions now demands extensive preparation, rapid-fire response times and significant funds (or a substantial budget). Though you manage, that alone won't do to just show up and watch the performance. Nowadays exists an expectation, at least among music enthusiasts, that you can boost your return on investment by seeing several shows (including overseas trips), swotting up on the performance lineup ahead of time and knowing your marks to follow and fan traditions developed through previous crowds.

Numerous concertgoers describe being scarred by their attendance at large concerts: what seemed like a scripted production of huge audiences, in which certain attendees came unaware of the steps. That 18-month tour, producing huge revenue, was proof of the degree to which people will go to feel part of a cultural moment and watch their preferred performer perform, even if the actual music appears more and more secondary to the spectacle.

The State of Modern Intimacy

Sex, on the other hand – an accessible and available enjoyment – is in dire straits. According to recent surveys, approximately 25% of adults were intimate in an typical week, while about three in ten were not engaging. In a different nation, current statistics revealed that more than 25% of individuals reported not having intimacy even once in the last twelve months, increasing from smaller percentages in previous decades. In these areas, the trend has been attributed to reduced intimacy in youth demographics. Contrast this with the industry expanding rapidly for stadium extravaganzas and the cutthroat competition for admissions. Naturally it's more complicated as a basic option between both alternatives – “do you prefer experience a popular event often, or stay celibate?” – but it's possibly an sign of how people see the more dependable pleasure.

Surprising Parallels

Relationships and gigs are more comparable than you might think. They both embody the activation of a relationship, a practical trial of impressions or possibility that might have amassed only in your head. You arrive with a general notion of what might happen, but hopeful of being happily shocked – and how it ends up satisfying or frustrating depends very much on how your vibe and hopes match theirs. Frequently you’ll end up with another person's locks in your mouth, and later be lingering for a smoke and personal space on your own. Likewise with either, substances and drinks can either enhance or reduce the experience (but absolutely assist the most unpleasant occasions easier to weather).

Finding the Balance

The appeal to live events and relationships relies on locating that perfect combination between familiarity and novelty, consistency and change, effort and ease. Of course it happens only rarely – but it's the remembrance of when they did, the awareness that success is achievable, that motivates us to try again: to {