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Envision finding yourself with a open night. You are refreshed, open to experience, and wanting to break from your typical schedule of relaxing at home. Life itself is your oyster! Would you prefer a) seeing live music or b) having sex? The outcome, as frequently true with such kinds of queries, is clearly: “It depends.” Mature individuals may reasonably inquire: what kind of the gig? Who is the companion? Is it expected to be good?

Few would pick a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the alternative was a magical night with Jonathan Bailey. Yet change any part of the equation, and it becomes more complicated. Regarding the thousands surveyed posed this query from a major concert promoter, no further clarification was offered – and the result was revealed unambiguously and heavily in favour of concerts.

Research Findings Reveal Interesting Preferences

A global report, polling 40,000 people aged between 18 and 54 from multiple countries, found that concerts have become the world’s top leisure activity, beating out sports, cinema and – absolutely – intimacy. If restricted to one type of enjoyment forever, a significant portion selected gigs, compared to watching movies (17%) and sports events (14%). Participants were more than twice as likely to choose attending their preferred performer in concert (70%) rather than sexual activity (30%).

You appear hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and frequently you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Certainly it’s not surprising that a marketing research conducted for a live event company should come out so strongly preferring live shows – and, in the freewheeling mood of a hypothetical choice, if your preferred musician is, for example a legendary singer, one can appreciate why attending his concert may be chosen rather than a routine encounter. But this binary choice between concerts or intimacy, plainly ridiculous though it may be, is fascinating to consider given the odd point we’re at with both.

The Change of Live Music Experience

Over the past few years, gig-going has grown beyond a group event but a intense competition. Event companies duly point out that large venue turnout has “grown significantly each year”, and music festivals sell out faster than ever. Just obtaining passes now needs extensive preparation, rapid-fire response times and bottomless pockets (or a substantial budget). Even if you’re successful, that alone won't do to simply turn up and watch the performance. There’s now an assumption, particularly with music enthusiasts, that you can boost your enjoyment value by seeing several shows (including overseas trips), studying the performance lineup beforehand and memorizing the cues to perform and fan traditions developed through previous crowds.

Numerous fans report feeling scarred by their experience at major tours: what felt like a scripted production of thousands of people, to which particular fans arrived unfamiliar with the protocol. The extended event, earning massive sums, was proof of the degree to which people will go to feel part of a historic occasion and watch their preferred performer sing, although the real performance appears more and more overshadowed by the spectacle.

The State of Modern Intimacy

Intimacy, on the other hand – an affordable and accessible pleasure – experiences dire straits. Per contemporary studies, approximately 25% of people engaged sexually in an typical week, while just under a third were abstaining. Elsewhere, current statistics indicated that more than 25% of adults reported not having intimacy at all in the past year, up from lower numbers in the past. Across these regions, the change has been linked to less sexual activity in youth demographics. Juxtapose this with the industry expanding rapidly for large concerts and the intense rivalry for tickets. Certainly it's more complicated as a simple decision between either option – “would you rather see a major tour multiple times, or remain abstinent?” – but it’s perhaps an indication of which is perceived as the more reliable satisfaction.

Surprising Parallels

Relationships and gigs are closer aligned than you might think. They both embody the commencement of a connection, a practical trial of ideas or possibility that might have amassed only in your head. You show up with a basic expectation of what might happen, but hopeful of being pleasantly surprised – and whether it proves satisfying or frustrating rests largely on whether your energy and anticipations correspond with partners. Quite often you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and following be waiting around for a smoke and some quiet time by yourself. Likewise with either, stimulants and beverages can sometimes improve or reduce the situation (but certainly help the worst occasions simpler to handle).

Finding the Balance

The magic to concerts and intimacy relies on locating that elusive sweet spot between the known and the new, similarity and difference, challenge and comfort. Of course it happens only rarely – but it's the remembrance of successful moments, the awareness that success is achievable, that drives us to give it another shot: to {