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Picture finding yourself with a night off. You feel energized, eager for new things, and wanting to shake up your regular habits of relaxing at home. Life itself awaits your choice! Would you choose a) attending a concert or b) engaging in intimacy? The outcome, as frequently true with such kinds of hypotheticals, is clearly: “It varies.” Mature individuals might logically inquire: what's the concert? Who is the other person? Will it be going to be enjoyable?

Hardly anyone would choose a intense rock concert if the other option was a dream date with a favorite star. However tweak either end of the comparison, and it becomes less obvious. In the case of the participants posed this query from a major concert promoter, no such clarification was provided – and the answer came out unambiguously and overwhelmingly supporting concerts.

Survey Results Indicate Interesting Trends

An international study, interviewing a large sample from 18 and 54 from different nations, found that gigs currently stand as the most popular leisure activity, surpassing games, movies and – yes – intimacy. When limited to one type of enjoyment forever, a significant portion selected concerts, compared to watching movies (17%) and games (14%). Participants were over two times as prone to select attending their preferred performer live (70%) instead of sexual activity (30%).

You appear hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and quite often you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Of course it’s not surprising that a PR survey conducted for a concert promoter should come out so heavily preferring concerts – and, amid the playful tone of a hypothetical choice, if your favourite artist is, say a legendary singer, you can see why watching him may be chosen rather than a common or garden experience. Yet this binary choice between gigs or sex, obviously silly though it may be, is interesting to reflect on considering the strange juncture we face with both.

The Transformation of Gig Attendance

In recent years, live music participation has grown beyond a communal experience but a competitive sport. Major promoters appropriately highlight that large venue turnout has “increased threefold year-over-year”, and live events are fully reserved faster than ever. Simply getting passes now demands military-level planning, quick decision-making and significant funds (or a generous credit card limit). Even if you manage, it isn't sufficient to simply turn up and enjoy the show. Currently there is an expectation, especially for music enthusiasts, that you could increase your experience quality by seeing several shows (including overseas trips), swotting up on the set list in advance and knowing your marks to follow and calls-and-responses developed through past attendees.

Several fans report feeling shaken by their participation at popular events: what seemed like a scripted production of massive crowds, in which particular fans came unaware of the routine. Those lengthy concert series, generating billions, demonstrated of the extents that attendees will push to participate in a historic occasion and watch their preferred performer play, though the live sound seems increasingly overshadowed by the spectacle.

The Situation of Current Relationships

Intimacy, by contrast – an accessible and available enjoyment – is in difficult times. Per modern research, nearly one in four of individuals were intimate in an regular period, while just under a third were not engaging. In another major country, current statistics revealed that more than 25% of individuals admitted to avoiding sexual activity even once in the previous year, increasing from fewer people in previous decades. In both territories, the trend has been attributed to decreased encounters with younger generations. Compare this with the market booming for large concerts and the cutthroat competition for admissions. Certainly it’s not as simple as a straightforward choice between either option – “would you rather see a major tour multiple times, or stay celibate?” – but it's possibly an indication of which is perceived as the more reliable satisfaction.

Interesting Comparisons

Intimacy and concerts are more comparable than people often believe. They both embody the commencement of a relationship, a practical trial of expectations or potential that might have amassed just in your mind. You show up with some idea of what might happen, but anticipating happily shocked – and if it turns out enjoyable or disappointing relies heavily on how your vibe and anticipations match theirs. Regularly you could wind up with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and later be hanging out for a cigarette and personal space on your own. Likewise with either, substances and drinks can sometimes improve or reduce the situation (but absolutely assist the worst occasions easier to weather).

Achieving Equilibrium

The magic to concerts and intimacy hinges on finding that perfect combination between comfort and excitement, consistency and change, work and relaxation. Of course it's uncommon – but it's the remembrance of successful moments, the understanding that success is achievable, that motivates us to attempt once more: to {