Psychologist Lists The Most Fulfilling Jobs For You Based On Your Favorite Hobby
If you want to make money doing what you love, you've come to the right place.
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock It’s been said that if you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. One approach you could take to bring this mantra to fruition is basing your career on your favorite hobby.
Career psychologist Miriam Groom thinks this is a great idea. According to her, “The reason why this is valid is that your hobbies actually, um, activate your dopamine center, showing you where your natural strengths lie.” Groom used her expertise to discuss five popular hobbies and the careers that align with them, all backed up by science. If you’re not sure what will make you happy in life, it’s a great place to start.
Here are the most fulfilling jobs for you based on your favorite hobby:
1. Baking and cooking
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If cooking and baking is your favorite pastime, Groom said detail-oriented jobs are your best fit. “You guys are super active in your prefrontal cortex,” Groom explained. “You’re detail-oriented and extremely precise.”
The National Institutes of Health called this the “personality center” of the brain, “and is the cortical region that makes us uniquely human. It is where we process moment-to-moment input from our surroundings, compare that input to past experiences, and then react to them.”
Because people who love baking and cooking have such an active prefrontal cortex with extreme attention to detail, Groom recommended jobs like food scientists, product developers, and R&D (research and development) specialists. All of these jobs require working with detail and exactness, just like cooking and baking.
2. Organization and decluttering
“If you’re constantly doing that, you have a great executive function,” Groom shared.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Executive function refers to mental processes (executive functioning skills) that help you set and carry out goals. You use these skills to solve problems, make plans, and manage emotions.”
Being great with goal-setting and problem-solving sets you up nicely for a variety of careers, including project managers, data analysts, and event planners. These jobs all require the ability to effectively think through problems and pick up on patterns, which is common in organization.
3. Scrolling through social media
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Yes, what many think of as a bad habit can actually be considered a hobby, Groom said. “You guys often engage your limbic system, which is excellent at spotting trends,” she continued.
Encyclopedia Britannica defined the limbic system as a “group of structures in the brain that governs emotions, motivation, olfaction (sense of smell) and behavior. The limbic system is also involved in the formation of long-term memory.”
For those known to doomscroll, Groom suggested trying your hand at being a trend analyst or content creator. These are pretty perfect jobs since they both involve social media. Additionally, The University of Queensland pointed out that the limbic system plays a big role in habitual behaviors, which social media is known for.
4. Fitness and working out
If you love being active, you know all about endorphins, the “happy” hormone. “You’re constantly releasing endorphins, which is great for focus,” she said.
According to Growth Engineering, endorphins aid in pain relief, mood enhancement, and stress reduction. They also help with learning and focus, as Groom noted. Anyone who has good focus would be well-suited to be a wellness coach, physical therapist, or performance consultant. These careers are also connected to movement and activity, making them perfect for all of the fitness fans out there.
5. Reading
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Groom said that being a bibliophile means you “constantly engage your limbic system.” Iris Reading confirmed this. “As you read, your brain’s limbic system also activates emotions,” they said.
“It helps manage your memories and helps you learn from them,” the Cleveland Clinic said of the limbic system.
Reading is all about memory and emotion and would lead someone to be a great editor, policy advisor or researcher. All of these roles naturally incorporate reading, so they would likely be enjoyable.
Matching careers up to your hobbies is one way to ensure you love what you do.
However, it’s also important to remember that hobbies can just be hobbies. You don’t have to pursue them professionally or make money from them. But, if you do want to, they’re a great place to look for potential careers.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.