#Hoarding #PanicBuying #COVID-19 #Anxiety #Emotions #Therapy #Triple5LightTherapy.com By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. There’s a very good article by Bella DePaulo, Ph.D. Why Are People Hoarding Toilet Paper? that dives into the psychology of this behavior. It’s a good question because what we’re seeing are American consumers acting in a seemingly irrational manner in reaction to the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Panic buying is what people do when faced with an imminent disaster, whether it be natural — such as a hurricane or snowstorm — or something else, like the spread of a virus for which there is no effective treatment or vaccine. And while it seems irrational on the surface, it actually has a rational basis. I think one of the reasons panic buying seems to make less sense to some during this pandemic is the fact that it’s likely to not just last a few days or weeks, but months to come. There’s little chance most people can stock up on enough food to feed an entir