The psychology behind why all of Holland suddenly bakes banana bread

I wasn't often found in my kitchen until about a week ago. I mean: I would occasionally grab something from the fridge, but the oven? Meh, no good friends there.

Now I've baked banana bread – just like the rest of the world. And, wait, it doesn't stop there: I've also baked cookies. And I even handed them out to friends because, don't be shocked: they turned out quite nice. Hearts, with decorations, with stripes and dots and edges and colors. Well sorry, but what has happened to me? Normally I just throw a French cheese on the table, open a bag of truffle chips, and worry more about whether the wine is cold enough than that I’m mashing bananas like a good woman who has her life in order and getting happy when I find almond flour in the supermarket. My oven has never been used as much in its entire existence as in the last few weeks. When I open Instagram, I see that 931 acquaintances have also whipped up a banana bread have whipped up. How come? Why is all of Holland baking now that we are in quarantine?

The psychology behind it is – what I think as a psychologist – quite simple. It gives us the feeling of being useful. Since Monday now also feels like a Saturday and vice versa, and working from home gives less satisfaction than having a bit of a blast and meet with colleagues, we dive into the kitchen. We bake something nice because the task makes us happy: you knead some dough, you mash some bananas, and you mix in some blueberries to keep it healthy. And we do it for the result. To lay that beautiful banana bread on your wooden board and look at it all day. You feel good, you feel proud, you feel important.

The New York Times has also written about it: ‘Baking in Quarantine as an act of Faith’. In other words: baking gives you hope, confidence, a goal, a view of the future. Like: everything will be alright, the economy will recover from the blow, here, eat some banana bread. You don’t know when you can hug everyone you love again, you don’t know when you can go back to work, you don’t know when you can return a bit to ‘normal’, according to our PM. You don’t know when you can go out for a rosé on the terrace. You don’t know if you will go on vacation this year. You don’t know if you can take your children to school or daycare this year. You do know that your banana bread will be ready after 40 minutes at 180 degrees in the oven. That’s why baking provides stability in these strange, unprecedented, wartime. And as soon as you can see your friends and family again, you’ll be ready, with tupperware and heart cookies and all.

By the way, my cookies turned out particularly well. But that banana bread, it’s just that it looked nice… Because honesty compels me to say: it tasted like concrete. Concrete with almond flour, that’s true. Phew. I just hope I can go back to the office soon.