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Envision finding yourself with a night off. You feel refreshed, open to experience, and looking to shake up your usual routine of relaxing at home. Your options offers possibilities! Do you prefer a) attending a concert or b) having sex? The outcome, as is often seen with these sorts of questions, is obviously: “It depends.” Thinking adults might logically wonder: what is the show? Who is the other person? Is it likely to be satisfying?

Not many would pick a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the other option was a dream date with a favorite star. However tweak one side of the comparison, and it turns less obvious. Regarding the participants presented with this choice through a live event company, no such clarification was given – and the response came out clearly and overwhelmingly supporting concerts.

Study Data Reveal Interesting Preferences

An international study, interviewing 40,000 people from 18 and 54 across multiple countries, revealed that gigs have become the number one leisure activity, ranking above sports, films and – absolutely – sexual intercourse. When limited to only one option of entertainment forever, 39% of respondents chose gigs, against watching movies (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). The group was over two times as likely to select seeing their favourite artist in concert (70%) rather than intimacy (30%).

You arrive hopeful of being pleasantly surprised – and regularly you’ll end up with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Naturally it’s not surprising that a marketing research commissioned by a gig organizer might conclude so strongly in favour of concerts – and, amid the playful spirit of a either-or question, if your top performer is, say a legendary singer, you can see why watching him may be chosen rather than a routine encounter. But this binary choice between gigs or sex, clearly absurd as it is, is noteworthy to consider considering the strange point we experience with these two aspects.

The Evolution of Live Music Experience

Over the past few years, live music participation has grown beyond a communal experience but a competitive sport. Major promoters appropriately highlight that arena crowds has “grown significantly annually”, and live events get booked up quicker than before. Simply getting admissions now needs detailed strategy, rapid-fire response times and bottomless pockets (or a generous credit card limit). Though you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to merely attend and experience the event. Currently there is an assumption, particularly with pop fans, that you can boost your enjoyment value by attending more than once (including overseas trips), swotting up on the set list ahead of time and understanding the rituals to hit and fan traditions established by previous crowds.

Numerous concertgoers describe being scarred by their participation at major tours: what seemed like a choreographed performance of thousands of people, to which certain attendees turned up not knowing the steps. That 18-month tour, earning massive sums, demonstrated of the degree to which attendees will push to participate in a significant event and watch their preferred performer play, even if the live sound grows somewhat secondary to the production.

The State of Current Relationships

Sexual activity, by contrast – an affordable and available enjoyment – faces dire straits. According to recent surveys, nearly one in four of adults were intimate in an regular period, while just under a third were not engaging. In a different nation, current statistics indicated that more than 25% of adults admitted to avoiding sex even once in the last twelve months, rising from lower numbers in previous decades. In both territories, the change has been attributed to decreased encounters in youth demographics. Contrast this with the market booming for large concerts and the fierce battle for passes. Naturally it’s not as simple as a basic option between one or the other – “do you prefer experience a popular event often, or remain abstinent?” – but it's possibly an sign of how people see the more dependable pleasure.

Unexpected Similarities

Relationships and gigs are more similar than people often believe. They both embody the activation of a bond, a practical trial of impressions or possibility that might have amassed just in your mind. You arrive with a basic expectation of the probable outcome, but expecting to be happily shocked – and if it turns out good or bad rests largely on if your enthusiasm and expectations match theirs. Frequently you’ll end up with another person's locks in your mouth, and afterwards be lingering for a break and some quiet time on your own. Likewise with either, substances and drinks can sometimes improve or detract from the experience (but certainly help the worst experiences more bearable).

Finding the Balance

The wonder to both gigs and sex relies on finding that perfect combination between the known and the new, similarity and difference, effort and ease. Of course it occurs infrequently – but it’s the memory of when they did, the understanding that it’s possible, that drives us to give it another shot: to {