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Imagine having a open night. You are rejuvenated, open to experience, and wanting to change your usual routine of post-work slumping. Life itself is your oyster! Would you prefer a) attending a concert or b) having sex? The answer, as frequently the case with such kinds of queries, is obviously: “It depends.” Thinking adults might logically ask: what kind of the show? Who is the companion? Will it be expected to be enjoyable?

Few would pick a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the other option was a dream date with Jonathan Bailey. Yet change any part of the scenario, and it becomes less obvious. In the case of the 40,000 people asked this question from a major concert promoter, no additional clarification was offered – and the result came out unambiguously and overwhelmingly supporting gigs.

Study Data Show Unexpected Preferences

An international survey, polling 40,000 people aged between 18 and 54 in different nations, revealed that concerts currently stand as the number one form of entertainment, beating out athletic events, movies and – yes – sexual intercourse. When limited to only one option of activity permanently, 39% of respondents selected concerts, versus going to the cinema (17%) and sports events (14%). The group was more than twice as inclined to select seeing their favourite artist in concert (70%) instead of intimacy (30%).

You show up hopeful of being happily shocked – and frequently you could wind up with another person's locks in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Of course it makes sense that a marketing research conducted for a concert promoter might conclude so heavily preferring live shows – and, in the freewheeling spirit of a would-you-rather, if your top performer is, for example Paul McCartney, it's understandable why seeing him may be chosen instead of a ordinary situation. Yet this binary choice between gigs or sexual activity, obviously silly even if it seems, is interesting to consider given the odd juncture we experience with both.

The Evolution of Live Music Experience

In recent years, live music participation has evolved into more than a group event but a serious endeavor. Event companies appropriately highlight that arena crowds has “grown significantly each year”, and live events are fully reserved quicker than before. Just obtaining admissions now demands extensive preparation, instant reactions and bottomless pockets (or a substantial budget). Even if you manage, it’s not enough to simply turn up and watch the performance. Nowadays exists an anticipation, at least among music enthusiasts, that you can boost your experience quality by going multiple times (even travelling internationally), learning the song selection ahead of time and understanding the rituals to follow and calls-and-responses developed through earlier audiences.

Numerous concertgoers admit to shaken by their attendance at major tours: appearing as a orchestrated show of thousands of people, where particular fans arrived not knowing the steps. Those lengthy tour, generating billions, was proof of the extents that people will go to experience a significant event and experience their top musician play, although the live sound grows somewhat overshadowed by the show.

The Condition of Modern Intimacy

Sexual activity, on the other hand – an accessible and accessible pleasure – experiences difficult times. Per modern research, nearly one in four of individuals engaged sexually in an regular period, while about three in ten were sexually inactive. Elsewhere, current statistics indicated that over a quarter of adults admitted to avoiding intimacy a single time in the last twelve months, increasing from lower numbers in previous decades. In these areas, the trend has been attributed to decreased encounters in youth demographics. Contrast this with the industry expanding rapidly for major events and the intense rivalry for admissions. Of course it’s not as simple as a simple decision between one or the other – “would you rather attend a huge concert multiple times, or remain abstinent?” – but it's possibly an signal of which is perceived as the more consistent pleasure.

Unexpected Similarities

Sex and live music are more similar than people often believe. Both represent the initiation of a connection, a real-world test of ideas or promise that may have developed just in your mind. You arrive with a basic expectation of how it’s likely to go, but hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and whether it proves enjoyable or disappointing rests largely on how your vibe and hopes align with others. Regularly you could wind up with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and following be lingering for a cigarette and personal space alone. Similarly for each, drugs and alcohol can sometimes improve or lessen the event (but absolutely assist the most dire situations simpler to handle).

Finding the Balance

The wonder to concerts and intimacy relies on discovering that hard-to-find balance between the known and the new, similarity and difference, effort and ease. Naturally it occurs infrequently – but it's the recollection of when it worked, the understanding that success is achievable, that inspires us to give it another shot: to {