Why Australia is crying out for toilet paper: Experts reveal the primal urge that is driving us to panic buy during the coronavirus emergency
- Shoppers are panic buying toilet paper because of primal yearning for 'control'
- Woolworths, Coles and Aldi shelves have bizarrely been cleared of loo roll
- 'Toilet paper symbolises control ... (it) feels like a way to maintain control'
- 53 Australians have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and a two people have died
Shoppers are panic buying toilet paper because of a primal yearning to feel in 'control' amid fears of a global coronavirus pandemic, leading psychologists say.
In bizarre scenes, worried Australians have cleared supermarket shelves of loo roll - despite tissue manufacturers saying the country is at no risk of running out.
The situation is so dire Woolworths introduced a ban on purchases of more than four packs and a woman allegedly pulled a knife in the tissue aisle of Sydney store.
Behaviour experts said shoppers have fallen into a 'herd mentality', where they act how others' act, rather than making than making their own conscious decisions.
A shopper loads his cars up with Quilton and Kleenex toilet paper in Sydney's west on Wednesday afternoon - as coronavirus fears escalate
Wiped clean: Bare shelves at a Sydney Woolworths are shoppers 'panic bought' the entire supply of toilet roll
COVID-19 latest: Two people have died and there are 53 cases of coronavirus across Australia, according to the latest data from health officials
'As advanced and brilliant as we think we are, part of our mental purpose in life is to get to the end of the day alive,' said psychologist Oliver Brecht.
It's that survival instinct which drives us to try and 'fix' negative situations, such as how to live through a virus epidemic.
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Mr Brecht said people were making an 'illogical jump' that toilet paper gave them 'control' and 'security' against the coronavirus.
The masters level psychologist, from Sydney firm Veretis, explained: 'We're anxious about things that we can't control.
'(People feel) coronavirus could happen to me, but if I have lots of toilet paper - I won't get coronavirus'.
Psychologist Oliver Brecht, from Veretis: 'We're anxious about things we can't control'
'It's something I could control, in something we believe we have no control over ... and people don't want to be the ones' missing out.'
'Of course, this is all happening below the surface, subconsciously, at this primal level.'
Dr Niki Edwards, from the University of Queensland's School of Public Health and Social work, agreed, writing in The Conversation: 'Toilet paper symbolises control.
'We use it to 'tidy up' and 'clean up'. It deals with a bodily function that is somewhat taboo.
'When people hear about the coronavirus, they are afraid of losing control.
'And toilet paper feels like a way to maintain control over hygiene and cleanliness. People don't seem interested in substitutes.'
Customers stocked up on value packs packs of loo roll during the grocery shop in Lidcombe
This shelf was completely bare within 10 minutes of it being restocked with new pallets of paper
An Instagram user wraps his arms around a precious possession
Consumer behaviour expert Dr Rohan Miller, from the University of Sydney, said social media influencers promoting their 'stockpiles' were fanning the flames.
'People are being panicked and they're just following the herd,' he said.
'We've been operating in an information void and in the absence of that information, the herd has indicated you need toilet paper.'
He said the phenomenon was mostly without precedent - with people typically stocking up on items during natural disasters, such as cyclones.
But with only two people dead and 53 confirmed infections nationwide, Dr Miller's local supermarket was sold out of toilet paper and other essentials last night.
This morning, his local cafe was selling toilet paper rolls.
'YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS OUT': WHY AUSTRALIA'S GONE POTTY FOR TOILET PAPER
A handful of the thousands of Australians who have stormed supermarkets to stock up on toilet paper have revealed why they felt the need to stockpile loo roll.
Daily Mail Australia visited several Sydney supermarkets on Wednesday where manic shoppers were clearing out aisles, including an entire Costco warehouse in the city's west.
As the coronavirus scare widens - with 43 confirmed diagnoses in Australia - a father and son were among dozens of shoppers to empty a supermarket shelf at Lidcombe Shopping Centre within 10 minutes of it being restocked.
Oscar Andres, 46, said he and his son Ivan, 18, from Bondi had made an urgent trip to the shops to stock up on 'rare commodities' - including six packets of toilet paper.
But admitted they did not desperately need toilet paper and had largely been caught up in the hype that is sweeping the nation, despite authorities urging people to stop.
Oscar and Ivan Andres (pictured) admitted they had been caught up in the hype sweeping the country and did not need the six packs of toilet paper they bought, but simply 'did not want to miss out'
'It's a little bit scary, especially seeing the way everyone is behaving,' Mr Andres said.
'We are from Bondi but we heard on the radio about how everyone was selling out so we had to come and get some urgently.
'My son said people are buying up on rice too so I told him to get some of that too. We don't want to miss out!'
While some had just run out at home or were doing their weekly shop, others admitted the hype surrounding coronavirus had them worried.
'It's because of the coronavirus, it's very scary,' Angelo Vargas told Daily Mail Australia.
'Everyone is buying toilet paper and I think everyone is a bit caught up in in and you don't want to miss out.
