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Picture having a free evening. You're feeling refreshed, eager for new things, and hoping to change your typical schedule of post-work slumping. Life itself awaits your choice! Would you opt for a) going to a gig or b) being with a partner? The outcome, as frequently the case with such kinds of hypotheticals, is plainly: “That depends.” Thinking adults might logically ask: what kind of the gig? Who's the partner? Is it likely to be good?

Not many would pick a intense rock concert if the choice was a dream date with a favorite star. Yet change one side of the scenario, and it grows less obvious. For the 40,000 people posed this query through a live event company, no further details was given – and the answer emerged clearly and overwhelmingly supporting concerts.

Research Findings Reveal Unexpected Trends

A worldwide report, interviewing 40,000 people ranging from 18 and 54 from multiple countries, revealed that live music currently stand as the world’s top form of entertainment, beating out athletic events, cinema and – indeed – intimacy. If restricted to one type of enjoyment permanently, nearly four in ten chose concerts, compared to film attendance (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). Participants were over two times as inclined to prefer attending their preferred performer in concert (70%) instead of sex (30%).

You arrive hopeful of being happily shocked – and regularly you could wind up with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Certainly it makes sense that a marketing research conducted for a live event company might conclude so strongly in favour of concerts – and, amid the playful spirit of a hypothetical choice, if your favourite artist is, for example a legendary singer, it's understandable why watching him could prevail rather than a routine experience. But this two-option scenario between gigs or sexual activity, plainly ridiculous as it is, is noteworthy to reflect on given the odd point we’re at with each.

The Evolution of Concert Culture

Lately, gig-going has become not just a communal experience but a intense competition. Live organizations duly point out that large venue turnout has “tripled annually”, and live events sell out more rapidly than previously. Simply getting tickets now requires military-level planning, instant reactions and bottomless pockets (or a substantial budget). Although you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to merely attend and enjoy the show. There’s now an expectation, especially for music enthusiasts, that you can boost your enjoyment value by going multiple times (including overseas trips), swotting up on the song selection ahead of time and knowing your marks to perform and fan traditions established by previous crowds.

Many fans report feeling affected by their attendance at popular events: what felt like a choreographed performance of thousands of people, in which particular fans turned up unfamiliar with the routine. That 18-month event, producing huge revenue, showed of the extents that people will go to feel part of a historic occasion and see their favourite artist perform, though the real performance appears more and more secondary to the spectacle.

The Condition of Modern Intimacy

Sex, conversely – an accessible and accessible pleasure – faces dire straits. Per recent surveys, about a quarter of people engaged sexually in an typical week, while just under a third were abstaining. In a different nation, recent data indicated that a significant portion of people said they had not sex at all in the last twelve months, increasing from lower numbers in earlier years. Across these regions, the shift has been attributed to decreased encounters in youth demographics. Compare this with the sector driving growth for major events and the cutthroat competition for admissions. Of course it's more complicated as a basic option between either option – “do you prefer see a major tour repeatedly, or remain abstinent?” – but it's possibly an signal of how people see the more consistent enjoyment.

Unexpected Similarities

Relationships and gigs are more similar than one may assume. Both represent the initiation of a connection, a practical trial of expectations or possibility that might have amassed only in your head. You show up 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 anticipations match theirs. Quite often you could wind up with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and later be hanging out for a break and a moment alone by yourself. Likewise with either, drugs and alcohol can potentially heighten or reduce the experience (but certainly help the worst situations simpler to handle).

Finding the Balance

The wonder to live events and relationships hinges on locating that perfect combination between familiarity and novelty, similarity and difference, work and relaxation. Of course it's uncommon – but it’s the memory of when it worked, the awareness that success is achievable, that motivates us to try again: to {