Baking and cooking are two very different forms of art/science and require different types of approaches.
Our life choices, decisions, likes, and dislikes may be different from each other but there is one thing that most of us share; the love of food. Talking about food, eating together and also cooking could be some of the most endearing forms of connecting with people.
Sometimes, we do also feel a sudden inadvertent connection with people who love cooking or baking. But it is noteworthy that people who love to cook not only have a different set of skills but also a different temperament and different way of functioning. In cooking a lot depends on your instincts but in baking, more emphasis is laid on precision. The kind of ingredients, utensils, forms of heat are also different in baking than cooking.
Therefore, if you identify yourself as a baker, it can't just be a mere coincidence. It could have a lot to do with how you are a person. “Baking has the benefit of allowing people creative expression,” associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University, Donna Pincus, told HuffPost. “There’s a lot of literature for connection between creative expression and overall wellbeing. Whether it’s painting or it’s making music [or baking], there is a stress relief that people get from having some kind of an outlet and a way to express themselves.”
That food connects people is not an unknown phenomenon. Therefore, if you like baking for others it might be a reflection of your expressive and caring self. You are an empathetic person who believes in healing people with love and care. You not only feel others' pain but go out of your way to support and comfort them. There could be times when expressing your feelings seems difficult, but you find a way to do that in other ways, sometimes through baking. When a friend is upset about her heartbreak, you reach their doorstep with a batch of freshly baked cupcakes. You are one of those grandmas who spoils her grandkids silly with cookies and pies. It's how you express love. Most of the time, you are an amazing communicator who knows what to say and how to motivate people. This side of you compliments your empathetic side and these traits together make you a caring friend and a gentle human being.
As you include your heart and soul in your art you become more and more efficient in it. If you have been baking for yourself and your loved ones, you most likely are an excellent artist who draws the perfect flower or cartoon faces on cakes. You have an artistic mind that sees art as the healer of sore hearts. You are also a deep soul who adds a bit of thoughtfulness in whatever you do. You are a keen observer of people and situations and know when and how to react. Normally, you do not allow negativity to get the best of you and keep spreading your quiet love and affection. There is an innate calmness about you that could destress the most stressed minds and ease the most pained hearts.
“Baking for others can increase a feeling of wellbeing, contribute to stress relief and make you feel like you’ve done something good for the world, which perhaps increases your meaning in life and connection with other people,” Pincus told HuffPost. Therefore, bakers could most likely be selfless people who put others before them when need be. You have an urge to contribute to the happiness in the world and a cupcake is known to drive away the blues and make sad hearts smile. You like to voluntarily help people in need. You do care about your own happiness too but you derive it from others' smiles. At times, you could go so far as to put your own self in a stressful situation to rescue your loved ones from it.
"When I'm in the kitchen, measuring the amount of sugar, flour or butter I need for a recipe or cracking the exact number of eggs - I am in control. That's really important as a key element of my condition (depression) is a feeling of no control," says John Whaite, last year's winner of The Great British Bake Off. Therefore, if you relate with the process of baking you could be the one who knows how to lift yourself from a critical situation. When you are a selfless giver, it leaves you exhausted and empty but you extract happiness from the simple joys of life. And the simple act of baking a cake could bring you the greatest happiness of the day. Your positive approach in life helps you maintain an emotional balance. You are also someone who likes to have their lives or kitchens in order. You know how to compartmentalize your thoughts or utensils and that helps you stay recharged and energized.
References:
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23756645
https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/baking-for-others-psychology_n_58dd0b85e4b0e6ac7092aaf8
