Tell me what you spend your time doing and I'll tell you who you are. What we fill the little free time in our lives with speaks volumes about us and what our hearts beat for. Time is precious, especially when we are torn between work and family, deadlines and social obligations. Every minute is doubly valuable.

All the more reason for us to make sure we spend it wisely and as profitably for our happiness balance as possible. Our passions and interests reveal a lot about our personality. In this article, we'll take a closer look at 5 of the most popular hobbies and what psychology tells us about them.

1. Reading

This hobby naturally speaks to the fact that we are inquisitive and curious. Anyone who voluntarily engages with the written word in their free time is constantly expanding their horizons and knowledge. However, reading also helps us to develop more empathy.

Through the consumption of books and magazines, we reportedly even learn to better assess our fellow human beings. But reading also promotes our creativity and, with it, our problem-solving skills. A bookworm is not easily disturbed and confidently faces any obstacle. The consumption of books also ensures, of course, that we can express ourselves much better and have a larger vocabulary.

As a result, we automatically appear smarter to those around us, scoring points with eloquence and a winning public demeanor. Bookworms, and this may come as a surprise, have also been shown to be more emotionally stable than people who prefer to swap the adventures in their heads for smartphones and TVs.

2. Cooking

Love is not the only ingredient that determines success and failure in cooking. Preparing a dish with dedication and joy has an enormous impact on the result. Those who prefer to indulge this passion in their free time not only bring creativity and passion. Cooking also demands a certain amount of willingness to learn, but it can also become a test of endurance.

According to studies, ambitious hobby cooks are therefore blessed with greater resilience than fans of microwave meals and junk food. They have considerable persistence and don't let their attention to detail go to waste. If you take preparing food for your loved ones seriously, you won't be satisfied with small dishes. It has to be several courses, at least on special occasions. This is where time management and organizational skills come into play, which are also amply attested to by the kitchen elves. They also excel in quality awareness, because only the best ingredients can produce an outstanding dish.

Multitasking goes without saying in the haze of steaming pots and ringing kitchen alarm clocks. But cooking also requires intuition and flexibility. Some recipes are foolproof, while others require tweaking at one's own discretion. Last but not least, passionate cooks are, no wonder, aware of their social responsibility and have razor-sharp powers of observation. And they are sometimes not spared the ability to be critical.

3. Fitness and sports

Anyone who voluntarily spends every free minute in sweat-inducing battles against their inner weakness and against their own body must be resilient and mentally strong. Athletes have an above-average level of motivation and discipline. They love to compete and are not afraid of a challenge. Some fitness enthusiasts are outspoken team players, while still others prefer to run their courses independently and alone.

The ability to cope with stress is in their blood, as is the ability to learn from their mistakes. Athletes want to win and therefore focus all their passion and concentration on this one goal. This requires optimism and a great deal of self-control. In extreme cases, their strong self-confidence can mutate into a downright killer instinct. In any case, these personalities cannot be stopped so quickly. However, they are also said to have a great deal of appreciation for others.

4. Gardening

The secret of success and probably the most important characteristic of successful gardeners is patience. It can take a few years for a seed to grow into a proud tree. Moreover, in addition to great knowledge and expertise, you also need vision to make your green thumb a success.

Passionate hobby gardeners always find themselves emotionally somewhere between hopeful and realistic. But gardening also requires planning and creativity, imagination and enjoyment of physical activity. According to studies, hobby gardeners turn out to be friendlier and more generous people than average.

In a certain way, they are driven by a deep passion that already makes them shuffle their hooves impatiently in February. But also abundant imagination and curiosity makes life rain like red roses on the gardeners' gift table.

5. Photography

These people literally love to make an accurate and very detailed picture of their world and the people in it. They are artistically gifted and can be very patient if the subject returns the favor. Focusing on their surroundings entails photographers developing a keen sense of their surroundings and using sufficient tact and diplomacy to hunt for the next snapshot. But photography also requires passion and a high degree of self-motivation.

Very few worthwhile motifs will appear before the lens of an amateur photographer on their own. One quality that is always useful in life is flexibility. Every photographer knows that without it, not a single useful picture will succeed. Those who cultivate this creative and artistic hobby develop over time not only a camera-ready view through the lens, but a completely unerring sense of people.

Pressing the shutter release several times in a row is by no means enough to snap a good photo. It takes intuition and also a little love for the people who are immortalized in this way.

Today's Conclusion: Speed dating for body, mind and soul

What could be better than indulging your passions to your heart's content? Whether it's creative work, culinary feats or the desire to make the world a little more colorful. Hobbies don't just make us happy. According to recent research, they also make us smarter, more empathetic, more resilient, and overall better people. That's it for today. Thanks very much and see you soon.

You’ll Be Surprised What These Hobbies Can Reveal About You!