Cov expert explains why we may panic buy
| Published date | 02 October 2021 |
| Publication title | Coventry Telegraph |
A local psychology expert has taken us through the thought process behind panic buying, in an 18 months that, as well as petrol, has also seen people stockpiling toilet paper, pasta and rice. Dr Annie Turner is Course Director for Business and Organisational Psychology, as well as Assistant professor and lecturer in Consumer Psychology at Coventry University.
She says panic buying is a common occurrence when there is a national crisis or event of some kind that threatens our day to day lives.
"Panic buying or the urgent gathering of resources is often a reaction to an emergency event or situation, and one built from a pervading fear of what is happening in the environment," Dr Turner said.
"As a result of the uncertainty surrounding recent events such as Covid-19, this are likely to have galvanised an increased need to feel safe and in control.
"These actions also make us feel better; by buying a stock of toilet rolls or pasta we are actually gaining some certainty and control over a situation that is often outside of our control, such as around recent COVID-19 events.
"The need to rid ourselves of the distress and feelings of uncertainty helps drive our actions to get that scarce resource, we are often unaware that this is one of the reasons for behaving as panic buyers. "The type of hoarding we are seeing during COVID-19, at a nonclinical level, is often a psychological mechanism to react to the current situation, as an unconscious attempt to alleviate feelings of uncertainty and reduce distress.
"If they have a stock of a particular commodity, certainty is maintained, and distress and anxiety reduced, we are also then prepared for any eventuality.
"We have not fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic lockdown restrictions yet; people still are not confident in what the future holds, this will result in some people continuing to 'stock up' and buy far more than they actually need."
However, Dr Turner says people who panic buy don't actually consider themselves panicked. She said: "From a psychological perspective panic buying is not actually what people believe they are doing when they rush to find a petrol station with supplies and then queue for hours for fuel.
"They believe they are acting rationally; it is others who are 'panic buying'. People form a belief that the reason for filling their tank and buying more than they normally...
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