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Picture having a night off. You are energized, ready for adventure, and wanting to change your usual routine of relaxing at home. The world is your oyster! Could you prefer a) seeing live music or b) having sex? The outcome, as frequently true with such kinds of questions, is plainly: “It depends.” Thinking adults may reasonably wonder: what's the concert? With whom is the other person? Is it likely to be satisfying?

Not many would choose a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the alternative was a magical night with Jonathan Bailey. However tweak one side of the equation, and it becomes less clearcut. In the case of the 40,000 people asked this question from a major concert promoter, no further clarification was provided – and the response was revealed clearly and overwhelmingly in favour of live music events.

Research Findings Reveal Interesting Preferences

A global survey, interviewing 40,000 people from 18 and 54 in 15 markets, showed that gigs are now the world’s top form of entertainment, beating out games, movies and – absolutely – sexual intercourse. When limited to one type of entertainment for the rest of their lives, a significant portion chose gigs, compared to going to the cinema (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). The group was over two times as inclined to prefer watching their top musician in concert (70%) over sex (30%).

You appear anticipating pleasantly surprised – and frequently you could wind up with another person's locks in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Certainly it’s not surprising that a marketing research conducted for a gig organizer would result so heavily preferring concerts – and, amid the playful spirit of a hypothetical choice, if your preferred musician is, say an iconic star, you can see why watching him could prevail rather than a routine experience. Yet this either-or decision between live music or intimacy, clearly absurd as it is, is noteworthy to think about considering the strange juncture we’re at with these two aspects.

The Transformation of Concert Culture

Over the past few years, live music participation has evolved into more than a shared activity but a competitive sport. Live organizations appropriately highlight that arena crowds has “grown significantly annually”, and live events are fully reserved quicker than before. Just obtaining admissions now requires military-level planning, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a high spending capacity). Even if you manage, it isn't sufficient to simply turn up and watch the performance. There’s now an anticipation, particularly with music enthusiasts, that you can boost your return on investment by attending more than once (even travelling internationally), learning the performance lineup beforehand and knowing your marks to follow and audience interactions created by past attendees.

Many attendees admit to shaken by their experience at major tours: appearing as a choreographed performance of massive crowds, to which certain attendees turned up not knowing the routine. Those lengthy concert series, producing huge revenue, was proof of the degree to which attendees will push to feel part of a cultural moment and see their favourite artist perform, though the actual music appears more and more less important than the show.

The Situation of Contemporary Sexuality

Intimacy, conversely – an accessible and accessible pleasure – is in dire straits. Based on modern research, approximately 25% of adults were intimate in an average week, while nearly 30% were sexually inactive. In a different nation, recent data revealed that over a quarter of people reported not having sexual activity a single time in the past year, rising from lower numbers in the past. In these areas, the shift has been associated with decreased encounters among younger people. Juxtapose this with the industry driving growth for large concerts and the fierce battle for tickets. Certainly it isn't straightforward as a straightforward choice between either option – “would you rather see a major tour often, or stay celibate?” – but it might be an signal of how people see the more reliable enjoyment.

Surprising Parallels

Sex and live music are closer aligned than people often believe. They both embody the commencement of a relationship, a practical trial of expectations or possibility that may have developed solely in your imagination. You arrive with a basic expectation of the probable outcome, but hopeful of being happily shocked – and how it ends up enjoyable or disappointing depends very much on how your vibe and anticipations correspond with partners. Quite often you’ll end up with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and following be lingering for a break and personal space alone. Likewise with either, stimulants and beverages can sometimes improve or reduce the situation (but definitely make the worst experiences more bearable).

Seeking Harmony

The appeal to live events and relationships hinges on locating that hard-to-find balance between familiarity and novelty, consistency and change, challenge and comfort. Naturally it occurs infrequently – but it’s the memory of successful moments, the understanding that success is achievable, that motivates us to give it another shot: to {