Throwing a party is hard work. All that planning, money and stress. Not to mention the anxiety it gives you. So why do we have them and why do we go to them?

Why do people host parties?

Simple. It’s because we want to celebrate something. Be it a birthday, a new house (house-warmings), your friendship (dinner party catch-ups) or just that it is the end of the week. It may be to show off something you are proud of to the people you care about. It’s the thought of getting together with friends or family to forget the stress of everyday life and to have some fun. And to many it’s just a great excuse to drink and act like a kid again with it being completely acceptable.

Why do people go to parties?

Why do people prepare for hours to go to a place where the unexpected can be expected but the outcome is nonetheless the same? Simply put, it’s fun.

At events we find ourselves feeling emotions that we are not used to, we experience levels of arousal not familiar from day to day life, and we find ourselves doing things that we haven’t really fully intended to do. This is why parties can be so much fun. They can be so stimulating that normal conventions of comportment may seem unnecessary or irrelevant, and at a really good party, people can get pretty crazy. Not you or me, of course, but those other people.

Every person goes to a party for the plain reason of having fun, it’s both acknowledged and practiced. It’s a sensorial experience and the setting is meant to heighten all five senses. In that particular moment in time, you forget who you’re supposed to be and the things you’re supposed to do, there’s no time but the present and you’re there to make the most of it.

Everyone wants to get away from their realities once in a while. In these settings, people don’t really care where you came from or what you’ve done. Your appearance, confidence and moves are the only basis of judgment — you get to be whoever you want to be.

Whether it’s to escape from your monotonous routines, fears or thoughts, the setting is a perfect platform for distraction from the lights to the hot guy or chick beside the bar.

After every party, there’s always a new story to tell. It can be something you’re proud of or something you deeply regret. However, no matter how euphoric a moment can be, you have to acknowledge that it’s only as good as it lasts. As said, it’s an escape — and you can’t escape forever.