Empty shelves. Long tails with crowded carts. Nervousness, haste, complicit looks that share the same anxiety: the fear of running out of resources, no food, no toilet paper?Purchases of nerves by coronavirus are becoming an increasingly common phenomenon that surprises us and intensifies the feeling of panic.
Is it really wise to go to the supermarket massively to store food and other products at home or are we witnessing clearly irrational behavior?First, there is one obvious fact: the advancement of COVID-19 requires us to take extraordinary action; one of them is about forty years old.
- There are specific population areas that are forced to stay in their homes for at least 15 days.
- Something like this clearly indicates the need for sufficient resources for this period.
- However.
- The supermarket chains warn: there are no supply problems.
- The products they replenish normally and there is no indication that this will change.
Despite this, there is fear. The panic purchase occurs from Washington to New Zealand, passing through Spain, France and Malaysia, however, this behavior is not new and brings with it a series of specific explanations that we will discuss below.
Abraham Maslow said, in his famous pyramid of basic needs, that at the base of our well-being, on the first level, there is the possibility of having food for our livelihood. In a context of uncertainty and fear, having the basic resources to survive at home creates tranquility in our brains, that’s understandable.
However, what has been proven is that we need very little to react with panic, of course, we have to be careful, but a massive reaction causes situations that we all want to avoid: shortages of certain products, long queues and even situations of stress and confrontations between all.
Therefore, it is necessary to take into account certain aspects of nerve purchases by coronavirus.
David Savage is a professor of behavioral science and microeconomics at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and this expert says we should be careful. The possibility of having to keep forty-15 days is real and, as such, it is necessary to be prepared, however, we must obtain it in a rational and balanced way.
What is “rational and balanced”. This means, for example, not buying 15 packs of toilet paper, this means not putting 20 bottles of alcoholic gel in the cart, which happens in many cities and countries triggers irrational storage behavior that will have consequences, the first is the lack of these products. The second is price increases.
The media also, in a way, encourages panic. Nerve purchases from coronavirus are not just due to people’s instinctive reaction to a situation of fear and uncertainty.
Watching images of people shopping on TV or in the videos we share on social media has a contagious effect.
Let us remember that, far beyond COVID-19, there is nothing that spreads as much as anxiety, such as the feeling that we will run out of basic resources if we do not act quickly.
Steven Taylor is a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of British Columbia, one of his most important works is The Psychology of Pandemics, which explains an interesting aspect to consider.
The human mind usually reacts with some suspicion to the information it receives. There’s always a feeling they “don’t tell us everything. “Sometimes we read false data and give them the truth, other times we receive conflicting information. These situations fuel fear and we need a sense of control.
One way to do this is to shop, we know that it is useful to wash your hands and maintain adequate protective and hygiene measures, go home and have a pantry full of food and basics relieves, comforts and gives us that sense of control if necessary.
Nervous buying from coronavirus fuel panic, and it is necessary to avoid falling into this behavior, it is clear that we are in an extraordinary situation with COVID-19.
This context forces us to adapt to this situation, but the possibility of successfully addressing this reality depends on the need to act calmly, balance and intelligence, this is how we will get the most out of ourselves.
So, if you’re wondering if you should be careful, the answer is yes, but rationally is it advisable to increase your shopping volume overnight?
It will depend on the advice we receive from the experts, whether you are going to spend more time at home because of the 40s or if your children are not going to go to school, obviously you will have to improve a little. Equipped.
In conclusion, if at any time you find that this situation has too intense an impact and you are not able to deal with it, do not hesitate to contact specialized professionals.
The crisis must be confronted with calm, consensual and civic behavior, combining the efforts and motivations of all. Today we have good news: China is winning the battle and there are up to 8 vaccine projects.