Delicious UK - (05)May 2020

WHY DO PEOPLE

PA N I C B U Y?

Themomentthecoronaviruspandemicstruck,thestockpiling

began:thepasta,theflour,theeggs,theTOILETROLLS.

Headlinesandsocialmediawerefullofpicturesof

supermarketshelvespickedclean coupledwithfurious

commentsfrompeopleshockedattheselfishnessof ‘others’.

Kimberley Wilson gives the psychologist’s view

W

hilegovernmentsconsultthebest

scientistsforguidanceonhowtoslow

thespreadofthecoronavirus,oneofthe

moststrikingfeaturesofthepublic’sinitialresponse

wasthepanicbuyingandhoardingofessential

itemssuchassoap,handsanitiser,foodandtoilet

paper.Thisbehaviourwasdecriedonsocialmedia

aspurelyselfishbut– withtheexceptionofthe

peoplestockpilingitemstosellatexorbitantprices

online– I don’tthinkthat’sthefullstory.

Hoardingis oftenseeninresponseto

psychologicaldistress.If you’vewatchedany

TVshowabouthoarders,invariablythere’sbeen

somesignificantlossattherootofit – a shock

redundancy,thesuddenendofa marriageor

thelossofa child.Inthesecasesthesubsequent

hoardingservesa psychologicaloremotional

function that we can see in the current crisis, too.

FOMO:FEAROFMISSINGOUT

Everyonefindsdisappointmentuncomfortableand

thereforewe’restronglymotivatedtoavoidit.In

business, scarcity marketing is a much-used tactic

usedtoincreasedemandfora product:‘Sale

endingsoon’,‘Onlyfiveremaining’,‘Limitedstock’.

Thesenoticesaretryingtoinducea fearofmissing

outorbeingdisappointed.Thesameprinciple

playsoutinpanicbuying.Themorepeopleheard

andreadaboutemptyshelvesandlongqueues,

themoreanxietyit promptedaboutmissingout–

hencetherushingtotheshops.Ironically,this

behaviourincreaseddemand,creatingthe very

conditions we feared in the first place.

LOSSOFCONTROL

Thepandemichasupendedmanyofthethingswe

tookforgrantedinoureverydaylives.Autonomy.

Predictability.Stability.Freedomofmovement.

Suddenlytheworldfeelsunreliableandwe’re

confrontedwiththeunnervingrealitythatlittle

ofourlivesis underourdirectcontrol.However,

shopping– fillingourcupboards– is somethingwe

cancontrolandit becomesa wayoftemporarily

relievingtheanxietyofthechaos.

It’sinterestingthattoiletpaperhasbeenoneof

the most sought-after items, especially when gut