The psychology behind why toilet paper, of all things, is the latest coronavirus panic buy

[babylonsister]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/09/health/toilet-paper-shortages-novel-coronavirus-trnd/index.html

The psychology behind why toilet paper, of all things, is the latest coronavirus panic buy
By Scottie Andrew, CNN
Updated 5:14 PM ET, Mon March 9, 2020


(CNN)Masks were the first to go. Then, hand sanitizers. Now, novel coronavirus panic buyers are snatching up ... toilet paper?

Retailers in the US and Canada have started limiting the number of toilet paper packs customers can buy in one trip. Some supermarkets in the UK are sold out. Grocery stores in Australia have hired security guards to patrol customers.

An Australian newspaper went so far as printing eight extra pages in a recent edition -- emergency toilet paper, the newspaper said, should Aussies run out.

Why? Toilet paper does not offer special protection against the virus. It's not considered a staple of impending emergencies, like milk and bread are.

So why are people buying up rolls more quickly than they can be restocked?

Reason 1
People resort to extremes when they hear conflicting messages

Steven Taylor is a clinical psychologist and author of "The Psychology of Pandemics," which takes a historic look at how people behave and respond to pandemics. And compared to past pandemics, the global response to the novel coronavirus has been one of widespread panic.

"On the one hand, [the response is] understandable, but on the other hand it's excessive," Taylor, a professor and clinical psychologist at the University of British Columbia, told CNN. "We can prepare without panicking."

The novel coronavirus scares people because it's new, and there's a lot about it that's still unknown. When people hear conflicting messages about the risk it poses and how seriously they should prepare for it, they tend to resort to the extreme, Taylor said.

"When people are told something dangerous is coming, but all you need to do is wash your hands, the action doesn't seem proportionate to the threat," he said. "Special danger needs special precautions."

snip//

Reason 5
It allows some to feel a sense of control

The people who are stocking up on supplies are thinking about themselves and their family and what they need to do to prepare, Taylor said -- not healthcare workers, sick people or even regular folks who might run out of toilet paper sometime soon.

"It's all due to this wave of anticipatory anxiety," Taylor said. "People become anxious ahead of the actual infection. They haven't thought about the bigger picture, like what are the consequences of stockpiling toilet paper."

But people only act that way out of fear. Fischhoff said that preparing, even by purchasing toilet paper, returns a sense of control to what seems like a helpless situation.

"Depending on how people estimate the chances of needing the toilet paper, the hassle might be worth it," he said. "If it gave them the feeling that they had done everything that they could, it might free them to think about other things than coronavirus."

[lapfog_1]

1. People are thinking to lock themselves in their homes

for 30 to 60 days...

hence food and toilet paper... water for those who don't trust tap water

[hlthe2b]

2. Buying a bulk package rather than a two-week supply decreases trips to the store

which is smart. Likewis,e it can double as kleenex.

That said, the people buying what had to be a two-year supply absolutely floored me.

[Ms. Toad]

7. We have a six month supply

We nearly always do. We have a price point - if it hits that price point, we buy a couple of 48-roll packs. It stores forever - and when it's not on sale, it is relatively pricey. So we buy it when it is cheap.

(We haven't bought any recently - but the possiblity of having 1-2 year's worth on hand does not seem strange to me.)

[hlthe2b]

8. That's what I aim for. I was down to my last six rolls, so I ordered online from Sam's Club

after the initial run on stock. I think people are still hoarding, but they are seemingly getting some supplies back in.

[BlueNIndiana]

3. In case they are quarantined or advised not to go out.

At the very best this is going to take several weeks if not months to reach its peak.

Lets say for example you are advised to self quarantine for two weeks and lets say near the end of that time you develop this disease and hopefully do not need urgent care, you still may be stuck in your home for several weeks perhaps a month or longer.

If the area were you live get real bad and its all but mandated to stay at home then you may run out of supplies.

Not just toilet paper but food.

I have laid in supply of toilet paper and food and medicines for a month or longer if we can stretch it out. I did this weeks ago cause i knew this thing was going to get bad.

Now buying like years worth of stuff is out of hand but maybe they have large family they may need more stuff who knows.

[fleabiscuit]

11. Welcome to the DU.

I agree. And children of parents that experienced the great depression and shortages of WWII tend to carry the preparedness gene. I'm sure it is still being passed along.

[PlanetBev]

4. For all you Twilight Zone fans

The greedy bulk-buying reminds me of the episode “The Shelter”, about the neighbors trying to break into the one bomb shelter on the block.

Also reminds me of the Cuban Missile Crises hysteria. I was only 12, but I remember it.

[Totally Tunsie]

5. It seems perfectly logical for people to stock up on toilet paper.

There isn't a great substitute for it (now that Sears catalogs are gone), and we can be stuck in the house for a long time should we end up in a quarantine area and can't get out to shop.

I suppose we could order from Walmart or Amazon...Oh, wait!

[Whiskeytide]

6. If your goal is to keep things sanitary, there's ...

... not a lot worse than running out of TP. I get it. If it makes people feel better, I’m not judging.

[zackymilly]

9. People here are resorting to buying paper towels. Plumbers are going to make a fortune if flushed.nt

[Goodheart]

10. If I run out of toilet paper I'll wipe my ass with a wash cloth and toss that into the washer.

Sheesh.

I don't have enough room in this condo to be stocking up on bulky paper products.