Panicked Purchases - a podcast by Sandra Tsing Loh

During times of uncertainty, reasonable decision-making flies right out the window. Consumers worldwide hoard items -- enough to last years! Even our ancestors had similar survival tactics. Survivors of England’s bubonic plague in the 1600s may not have built 2-ply fortresses. But, they did stockpile what they could find (hello, beer!). But WHY?

Psychologists believe it has something to do with our evolution. We’ve survived millenia by cooperating as a group. Our social skills have gotten us this far. If we see our “tribe” hoarding, we want to hoard too! Although we could fend off large predators with this impressive collaboration, our stores also run out of T-P!Written and reported by Brenna Biggs.

1. Defoe, D. A Journal of the Plague Year. E. Nutt (1722).


2. Norberg, M.; Rucker, D. Psychology can explain why coronavirus drives us to panic buy. It also provides tips on how to stop. The Conversation (2020).


3. Taylor, C. Here’s why people are panic buying and stockpiling toilet paper to cope with coronavirus fears. CNBC (2020).


4. Croston, G. The Thing We Fear More Than Death. Psychology Today (2012).


5. Woods, G. Did Carson Cause the Toilet Paper Shortage of 1973? KGAB (2020).

Further episodes of Loh Down on Science: Special Pandemic Edition

Further podcasts by Sandra Tsing Loh

Website of Sandra Tsing Loh