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Envision finding yourself with a night off. You're feeling rejuvenated, ready for adventure, and wanting to break from your usual routine of post-work slumping. Your options is your oyster! Could you prefer a) seeing live music or b) having sex? The outcome, as is often true with such kinds of queries, is plainly: “It varies.” Mature individuals could understandably inquire: what is the concert? Who is the companion? Could it be going to be good?

Not many would pick a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the alternative was one enchanted evening with a beloved celebrity. But adjust one side of the equation, and it turns less obvious. In the case of the participants asked this question from a major concert promoter, no additional context was offered – and the response was revealed unambiguously and strongly preferring live music events.

Study Data Show Unexpected Choices

A worldwide study, questioning a large sample from 18 and 54 from multiple countries, revealed that concerts currently stand as the most popular pastime, ranking above sports, cinema and – indeed – intimacy. When limited to only one option of activity forever, 39% of respondents selected live music, versus going to the cinema (17%) and games (14%). Participants were over two times as prone to prefer attending their preferred performer on stage (70%) rather than sexual activity (30%).

You show up anticipating delightfully amazed – and regularly you’ll end up with another person's locks in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Of course it's expected that a marketing research conducted for a gig organizer might conclude so overwhelmingly supporting live shows – and, in the freewheeling tone of a hypothetical choice, if your favourite artist is, say an iconic star, one can appreciate why seeing him could prevail over a ordinary situation. Yet this binary choice between live music or sexual activity, clearly absurd though it may be, is fascinating to think about given the odd point we experience with these two aspects.

The Transformation of Live Music Experience

Over the past few years, gig-going has evolved into more than a group event but a serious endeavor. Major promoters rightly note that arena crowds has “increased threefold year-over-year”, and music festivals get booked up faster than ever. Just obtaining tickets now demands detailed strategy, instant reactions and deep finances (or a substantial budget). Although you’re successful, it’s not enough to simply turn up and experience the event. There’s now an expectation, especially for music enthusiasts, that you can boost your experience quality by attending more than once (even travelling internationally), learning the set list ahead of time and memorizing the cues to hit and calls-and-responses developed through earlier audiences.

Several concertgoers admit to scarred by their experience at major tours: what seemed like a choreographed performance of massive crowds, in which certain attendees came not knowing the routine. That 18-month event, producing huge revenue, showed of the extents that fans will travel to feel part of a significant event and watch their preferred performer perform, though the actual music grows somewhat less important than the spectacle.

The Situation of Modern Intimacy

Sex, conversely – a relatively cheap and available enjoyment – is in difficult times. According to recent surveys, nearly one in four of people engaged sexually in an average week, while about three in ten were abstaining. In a different nation, current statistics revealed that a significant portion of adults said they had not sex at all in the previous year, increasing from lower numbers in previous decades. Across these regions, the trend has been linked to less sexual activity among younger people. Juxtapose this with the industry booming for major events and the intense rivalry for tickets. Naturally it isn't straightforward as a basic option between one or the other – “would you rather see a major tour repeatedly, or stay celibate?” – but it’s perhaps an signal of what is viewed as the more reliable pleasure.

Interesting Comparisons

Intimacy and concerts are more comparable than you might think. They both embody the activation of a connection, a actual experience of ideas or possibility that may have developed only in your head. You arrive with some idea of what might happen, but expecting to be delightfully amazed – and how it ends up good or bad depends very much on how your vibe and anticipations match theirs. Regularly you might find with another person's locks in your mouth, and following be hanging out for a smoke and some quiet time on your own. Likewise with either, drugs and alcohol can potentially heighten or lessen the experience (but absolutely assist the most unpleasant experiences more bearable).

Seeking Harmony

The magic to both gigs and sex hinges on locating that perfect combination between the known and the new, similarity and difference, challenge and comfort. Certainly it's uncommon – but it’s the memory of when they did, the understanding that it can happen, that motivates us to try again: to {