For many of us, Friday nights meant dressing up in our finest club clothes and going out for a night of drinking, dancing, and revelry. It feels like it has been ages since you last dedicated your weekend to going out. But it’s not just you; this trend has been sweeping the nation, with many surveys revealing that most Americans want to stay in over the weekend instead of hitting the nightclubs.
In fact, almost three-quarters of Americans would rather stay home and invite friends over than go out. This has been a dramatic shift in behavior across generations. FOMO (fear of missing out) once motivated millions to head out over weekends, but today that has been replaced by new trends: JOMO (joy of missing out) and JOSH (joy of staying home).
It’s not like we’re becoming hermits and never leaving our homes… Instead, we keep going out for special occasions. Here’s why staying home is the new going out.
Saving Money
One of the biggest drivers for us all becoming such homebodies is because of the cost of going out. You can easily spend more than $100 on dinner and drinks, and that’s excluding club entrance fees and taxis.
It feels like everything has become so expensive, and it has stripped away the fun of going out. Even going to the cinema can cost you over $50 for a ticket and popcorn, so it makes sense that we’d rather stay home and watch movies in our living rooms.
Cost savings is also important for those who do occasionally want to leave the house. Most of us enjoy going to special events, like bachelor parties, when a famous musician comes to town, or going to a festival. By staying home most weekends, we can save up for when big one-off events roll around.
Entertainment At Home
Our homes have become entertainment hubs. Perhaps you recall as a kid often complaining that you’re bored. That is a thing of the past, with our smartphones, smart TVs, and laptops connecting us to the entire world.
You can bring the casino to your home with 99Bitcoins top Solana casinos. These platforms allow you to play all your favorite casino games without setting a foot outside of your door (not to mention your potential winnings can be put towards those rare nights out).
The entire cinematic experience is possible thanks to streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, FOX One, and Amazon Prime Video. Then there are games. From console games that will suck you in for hours to mobile games that entertain you while watching The Office in the background, you have no reason to be bored at home.
Kindle allows you to access an entire library in your lounge, arcade games are freely available online, DoorDash brings the restaurant to your home, and a well-stocked liquor cabinet means drinks are essentially on tap.
Still Able To Socialize
Just because we’re at home doesn’t mean we don’t have anyone to talk to. Studies have found that 74% of Americans prefer having meaningful conversations at home instead of during an outing. Discussions tend to focus on personal life, gossip, and politics.
But we’re not just hosting chats at home, we also prefer bigger events, like birthday celebrations, dinner parties, movie nights, game nights, and watching series together.
The younger generation has also turned to online socializing. Social media has made it incredibly easy to remain connected to anyone around the world, and many of Gen Z consider their online friends as important as their in-person friends.
Being home isn’t lonely. It is a more engaging way to connect.
A Need To Unwind
Let’s face it, life is stressful. Many of us feel like we are always on the go. Whether we’re commuting to the office, working from home, doing chores, or heading to the gym, it feels like we have no time for ourselves.
The events of 2020 forced most of the world to stay at home for weeks at a time, and this changed how we view being at home. Home because a place of peace, and isolating yourself for a couple of days or just a weekend has become a coping mechanism for today’s many anxieties.
Many people also simply don’t feel the obligation to be social anymore and are more willing to say no to invites (without having to come up with a fake excuse).
Cocooning, bunkering, or hermiting; whatever you want to call it, we’re doing it. Many people opt for phone-free weekends, when they can immerse themselves in a book or game without any distractions. It is a way to unwind from life’s stressors, and our homes have become our sanctuaries.
Control Of Your Environment
Staying home gives you complete control of your environment. Who among us has not stood in a crowded bar, shouting to your friend standing right next to you just to be heard? Or, who hasn’t gotten home from a night out and immediately tossed their clothes in the washer because of the smoke smell that clings to them?
When you’re staying home, you are in complete control of the sound, scents, and comfort levels. You can create the perfect atmosphere, whether for yourself or for guests. You get to eat what you want without being restricted to a menu, go to sleep as soon as the need strikes you without waiting for an Uber, and get to select who you interact with without being inappropriately hit on at the bar.
Final Thoughts
The shift from public to private environments for socializing is a big change in our habits. Many Americans state that this has been a recent change (in the past few years), but it can be seen across the world.
The timing of our preference to stay in is because of several factors, including the cost of going out, the craving for intimate connections, and the need for our creature comforts after a stressful week. It is likely that the change in going-out habits will impact many entertainment venues, which will have to adapt to meet the needs of their home-staying consumers.
