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Imagine finding yourself with a night off. You feel energized, ready for adventure, and wanting to change your typical schedule of relaxing at home. Life itself awaits your choice! Could you prefer a) attending a concert or b) having sex? The response, as frequently the case with such kinds of hypotheticals, is plainly: “That depends.” Reasonable people might logically ask: what kind of the concert? With whom is the companion? Is it expected to be enjoyable?

Few would choose a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the choice was a magical night with a beloved celebrity. But adjust any part of the equation, and it becomes more complicated. Regarding the 40,000 people presented with this choice by a gig organization, no such context was provided – and the response came out clearly and strongly supporting gigs.

Study Data Indicate Interesting Preferences

An international study, polling 40,000 people ranging from 18 and 54 in 15 markets, found that live music are now the most popular form of entertainment, surpassing athletic events, cinema and – absolutely – sexual intercourse. When limited to one type of entertainment forever, 39% of respondents picked gigs, versus film attendance (17%) and games (14%). Participants were over two times as inclined to choose watching their top musician on stage (70%) rather than sexual activity (30%).

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

Context and Considerations

Naturally it makes sense that a marketing research carried out for a concert promoter would result so overwhelmingly in favour of concerts – and, in the freewheeling mood of a hypothetical choice, if your preferred musician is, for example Paul McCartney, you can see why watching him might win out instead of a routine situation. But this two-option scenario between live music or sexual activity, obviously silly even if it seems, is noteworthy to think about amid the peculiar juncture we experience with these two aspects.

The Evolution of Live Music Experience

Over the past few years, gig-going has become not just a group event but a competitive sport. Event companies duly point out that large venue turnout has “tripled each year”, and festivals sell out faster than ever. Merely acquiring tickets now requires military-level planning, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a substantial budget). Although you succeed, that alone won't do to merely attend and enjoy the show. There’s now an assumption, especially for pop fans, that you might enhance your experience quality by seeing several shows (including overseas trips), studying the song selection ahead of time and knowing your marks to perform and fan traditions established by past attendees.

Several concertgoers describe being shaken by their participation at major tours: what seemed like a orchestrated show of massive crowds, where particular fans turned up unaware of the protocol. That 18-month event, earning massive sums, was proof of the extents that attendees will push to feel part of a significant event and see their favourite artist play, although the actual music grows somewhat overshadowed by the spectacle.

The State of Current Relationships

Sex, conversely – an accessible and accessible pleasure – is in dire straits. Based on contemporary studies, about a quarter of people engaged sexually in an regular period, while just under a third were not engaging. In a different nation, current statistics indicated that over a quarter of people reported not having sex a single time in the previous year, rising from smaller percentages in earlier years. In these areas, the trend has been linked to reduced intimacy with younger generations. Compare this with the market expanding rapidly for stadium extravaganzas and the intense rivalry for tickets. Of course it's more complicated as a straightforward choice between both alternatives – “would you rather see a major tour repeatedly, or remain abstinent?” – but it's possibly an indication of what is viewed as the more reliable enjoyment.

Surprising Parallels

Sex and live music are more similar than you might think. They both embody the initiation of a connection, a practical trial of ideas or promise that could have built solely in your imagination. You arrive with some idea of what might happen, but anticipating delightfully amazed – and how it ends up satisfying or frustrating relies heavily on if your enthusiasm and anticipations match theirs. Quite often you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and later be hanging out for a cigarette and some quiet time alone. And, in both cases, drugs and alcohol can either enhance or detract from the event (but certainly help the worst situations simpler to handle).

Seeking Harmony

The magic to concerts and intimacy relies on locating that perfect combination between the known and the new, sameness and variation, work and relaxation. Naturally it's uncommon – but it's the recollection of when it worked, the understanding that success is achievable, that inspires us to try again: to {