A Biopsychosocial Approach to Understanding Panic Buying: Integrating Neurobiological, Attachment-Based, and Social-Anthropological Perspectives

Abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic has focused the attention of researchers, civil authority and the general public on the phenomenon of “panic buying,” characterized by the excessive purchase of specific materials—particularly food and hygiene-related products—in anticipation of an expected shortage. This phenomenon has been well-documented in response to several natural and man-made disasters, but its global scope and severity in the context of COVID-19 are unprecedented. This response can negatively impact health, food security, and disease prevention efforts. Attempts to modify such behaviors are more likely to succeed if they are based on insights from both the biomedical and the social sciences. From a biological perspective, the phenomenological overlap between panic buying and psychological disorders such as hoarding disorder and compulsive buying raises the possibility of a shared neurobiological underpinning. Evolutionary models suggest that these behaviors represent an attempt to enhance individual and group survival in the face of a threatened scarcity of resources. These phenomena may be influenced by specific genetic variants which are also implicated in hoarding-related psychological disorders. From a psychological perspective, attachment theory provides a conceptual framework that serves as a bridge between prior life adversity, current deprivation, and an increased attachment to material objects. Such a framework is of relevance when considering panic buying during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been associated with significant disruptions in attachment bonds. From a social-anthropological perspective, hoarding and related behaviors have been associated with social exclusion and rejection, as well a lack of social support. These risk factors have affected large sections of the general population in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the governmental responses to it. This perspective also emphasizes the symbolic significance of the hoarded objects themselves. In this paper, an attempt is made to integrate these three perspectives and thereby formulate a biopsychosocial model of panic buying in response to this global health crisis. The existing scientific literature on panic buying is examined in the light of this model. Finally, suggestions are proposed as to how this model might inform social strategies aimed at preventing or reducing panic buying.

Consequences of information covering the COVID-19 pandemic from the point of view of Terror Management Theory

“…This situation is reflected in the media -first in the form of sarcasm and humor over people who buy up certain goods in bulk, then resentment about the lack of goods grows, and then those who did not condemn such behavior begin to implement it themselves; Leung and colleagues (2021) described this phenomenon in a Twitter response to "panic buying" toilet paper [19]. Taylor (2021), Yuen, Wang, Ma, & Li (2020) also highlight the role of the media in creating scarcity [20,21]. The result of such behavior is the development of compulsive manifestations, fraught with the development of a mental disorder [22].…”

Panic Buying and Its Causes: A Case Study of the US Toilet Paper Market

“…Another element of social capital is social support, defined as assistance provided by others to deal with stressors in life [10]. One model of panic buying, created by Rajkumar, hypothesized an inverse relationship between social support and panic buying [11]. The rationale is that a lack of social support has been found to associate with hoarding and related behaviors, which is a behavior similar to panic buying since both are characterized by a desire to possess large amounts of certain items [12].…”

Public health literacy unsold during panic buying

“…Panic buying also known as “Stockpiling” [ 6 ] is a paradigm of discrete behavioural changes that prevails when community members purchase abnormal quantities of goods around the time a disaster is anticipated. Associated phenomena include a feared shortage of supplies and unprecedented surges in costs [ 7 ].…”

“…Associated phenomena include a feared shortage of supplies and unprecedented surges in costs [ 7 ]. COVID- 19 has seen starkly dissimilar levels and trends in panic buying relative to other crises like floods and hurricanes [ 6 ]. A major dissimilarity includes differences in the extents of planning before shopping.…”