Clubbing is an integral part of modern culture: an irreplaceable segment of the entertainment industry. But why did it become such a popular sector and what is it in nightclubs that draws so many people? It interesting to understand why do the same night clubs regularly attract the same people for what is essentially the same experience. Read on and you will discover why people go to nightclubs – from a psychological perspective.

There are many psychological reasons behind the appeal of nightclubs some even involving evolution and the impact of our ancestors. Although nightclubs are a seemingly new concept the power behind their pull is as old as society itself – and so if a club wishes to be successful it is important for its managers to understand the strength of the psychological impact nightclubs have. With the most popular clubs already managing to establish the precise atmosphere which exploits psychological attraction of the venues through the usage of multiple techniques.

One of the primary and most basic reasons why people go to nightclubs is dance culture. Humans have an inherent enjoyment of dance and many societies incorporate dance as a large aspect of entertainment, socialisation and progression. It has therefore been hypothesised that dance is used as one of the techniques in which people create chemistry towards each other as women dance in order to encourage men to dance as they want to learn more about them and see if there is a mutual connection. There is also a link between male dancing and male fighting ability which would explain why a woman would wish to observe a man dancing before deciding whether he is a good match for her. She would like to know whether he would be capable of defending her and her children but without actually seeing him fight as this would result in numerous damages. If we assume that this is true then dance is a key feature of the mating ritual and consequently a designated area where people can dance such as a nightclub which becomes an important location.

This links into the next point: ‘It has been argued that consumer behaviour, such as the attendance of nightclubs, is a form of ‘lekking behaviour’. (A lek is a physical space where males of a species congregate in order to impress females). A 2009 study by Hendrie et al. showed that women who demonstrated the most vigorous combination in sexual signalling elicited over 50% of all male attention and that the number of couples who left a nightclub over the period of several nights was significantly greater than the number of couples who had entered the nightclub. Men were more likely to approach women employing suggestive dancing as a sexual signalling mechanism. Essentially the study found that the nightclub can be viewed as a lek as there are many observed forms of sexual signalling and many ways for the sexes to approach each other based on this signalling. From this it can be suggested that one of the reasons why people go to nightclubs is because these are venues which make it easy to find a partner (Even if it is just temporarily). Therefore you may be drawn to nightclubs even subconsciously as from an evolutionary perspective they are an optimal place to find a partner.

A further potential reason behind why people go to nightclubs has been suggested to be the expression of oneself. When a person goes on a night out it is highly likely that they will dress up and make sure that they look their best. Given this intention and given that most people going to a nightclub are likely to be aware of the need for a dress code and code of conduct it is not surprising that a lot of scrutiny of others occurs. For this reason people who know that they are attending a place where appearance plays a high role are likely to take this as an opportunity to express themselves – both as individuals and as part of a group. People find it important to express their personality and character through the way they dress and style themselves but also generally wish to remain as part of a community. This community can be expressed as the people attending a certain venue with most clubs having some kind of theme or target audience. It is natural that visitors would have something in common and therefore form a type of temporary community in these clubs. Therefore people may go to nightclubs to pronounce their style and personality.

Studies have also shown that some people view nightclubs and going out as a form of escapism from everyday life. A nightclub is a place where temporary communities are formed where people can act out fantasies, pretend to be someone they are not and for a certain period of time essentially escape their everyday lives. People therefore view the clubbing experience as a method of enjoying themselves in a form which is separate to the rest of their lives and this is another reason for why people go to nightclubs.

Celebrating and partying with friends is also a very powerful cause of enjoyment and why people go to nightclubs. This is due to the release of oxytocin (love hormone) which is produced when one takes part in bonding activities such as dancing with a group of friends. This oxytocin reduces fear and anxiety leading to feelings of contentment and peace. It is therefore no surprise that people may enjoy going to nightclubs purely given the production of this hormone which comes about as a result of the social bonding that occurs so naturally in such environments.

It comes as no surprise that successful establishments are well informed on the reasons behind why people go to nightclubs and play on these reasons in order to increase their revenue. This can be seen through dancefloor arrangements, alcohol sales etc. This is particularly seen at exclusive theme clubs through the skilful creation of what could be seen by those in an inebriated state as an alternate reality. For example Cirque le Soir creates an atmosphere so full of unusual things and creatures that it becomes actually difficult to remember you are still in central London. (A further fact that goblins, clowns and so on present in Cirque increase the levels of fear in customers which leads to increased alcohol consumption). Another example is the Box in Soho which positions itself as ‘the theatre of varieties’ and which often stages daring performances that make it difficult to focus on much else. Yet more escapism can be practiced at Mahiki with the Tiki decor providing a welcome tropical escape from the sometimes dreary English settings. For this reason such clubs maintain popularity as they do best in attracting those who are tired of their day-to-day lives.

There is also a similar explanation behind why music is so important in popular clubs and another reason why people go to nightclubs. As good music leads to increased dancing which promotes both oxytocin release and lekking behaviour. This detail is therefore crucial to creating a prosperous nightclub.

Having read this article hopefully you can see that there are many psychological factors behind why people go to nightclubs. These reasons range from finding a partner to simply experiencing happiness from oxytocin release. However all of these reasons are powerful and should be used with care by nightclubs wishing to increase their profits in order to make themselves more attractive to potential customers.