Baking has always attracted kids to the kitchen to help with mixing, stirring and rolling dough. They love using fun shaped cookie cutters, or special treats for holidays and cakes for birthdays and celebrations. And of course we love to enjoy those warm sweets right out of the oven. But now we’re learning that baking has positive mental health benefits as well.
We discovered an article on Mental Floss, by Michele Debczak that includes the following quote:
Baking has also been touted as a form of therapy, with some mental health clinics using time in the kitchen as a treatment for depression.
Well you knew you felt uplifted by those cookies and cupcakes, but never thought it was the Zen of baking that created the good mood brought on by by baking a chocolate cake.
Another interesting piece at HuffPost makes baking seem absolutely altruistic and loving.
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. — Donna Pincus
There’s no doubt kids love both the preparation of baking and consuming the results. Now we know that little bakers are improving both their mood and their minds.
