You Don’t Need That Much Toilet Paper
Toilet paper does nothing to prevent the virus, so why are people stockpiling it? According to Steven Taylor, author of The Psychology of Pandemics, people resort to extremes during a panic. With a lack of clear direction from officials, people copy what they see others doing–which is buying lots of toilet paper.
If you do catch the virus, you’ll be quarantined for around two weeks. That doesn’t require seven packages of toilet paper (unless you have a severe medical condition). “People become anxious ahead of the actual infection,” Taylor says. “They haven’t thought about the bigger picture, like what are the consequences of stockpiling toilet paper.”
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