A recent study published in PLOS One examined toilet paper consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic across 22 countries. The findings revealed that the personality traits of Emotionality and Conscientiousness, as well as perceived threat about COVID-19, were related to an increased likelihood of stockpiling toilet paper during the pandemic.
While the coronavirus spread around the globe, disrupting health care systems and causing widespread alarm, an interesting human behavior emerged that caught the attention of media. Around the world, people were reportedly hoarding toilet paper, seemingly prompted by fears that the pandemic would lead to a scarcity of resources. This stockpiling of toilet paper had adverse consequences, ironically leading to toilet paper shortages and causing people to clog their household pipes with material other than toilet paper.
Despite numerous speculations, very little research has been done on the psychological predictors of this behavior. A study by Lisa Garbe and her colleagues aimed to fill this gap in research by looking at personality factors that might predict toilet paper stockpiling behavior.
A total of 996 participants from 22 countries filled out an online questionnaire between March 23 to March 29, 2020, which assessed their toilet paper consumption. Specifically, subjects were asked to report how often they had purchased toilet paper in the past two weeks, how many packages of toilet rolls they had purchased, the number of toilet rolls currently in their home, and whether or not they had stocked more toilet paper than usual.
Participants also reported how long they had been in quarantine, the number of high-risk people living in their household, and rated their perceived threat of COVID-19. Finally, participants completed the brief HEXACO Inventory, which assessed the six personality dimensions of Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience.
As was expected, the extent that participants felt threatened by COVID-19 predicted their stockpiling behavior. Higher perceived threat was associated with shopping for toilet paper more often, buying more packages of toilet paper, and having a larger stock of toilet rolls at home.
“Although stockpiling as a result of perceived threat might be considered selfish by some, it is important to note that it would not necessarily reflect a dispositional lack of prosociality. Instead, even the most humble and moral individuals might stockpile toilet paper as long as they feel sufficiently threatened by the pandemic,” Garbe and colleagues say.
Interestingly, no association was found between stockpiling and the trait of Honesty-Humility, a trait typically defined by fairness and greed avoidance. This suggests that toilet paper hoarding does not stem from a lack of solidarity. Researchers accordingly suggest that asking the public to refrain from over-purchasing toilet paper by appealing to their morality may not be the most effective tactic.
The results also pointed to Emotionality, a trait characterized by anxiety, sentimentality, and fearfulness. Emotionality explained 20% of the association between stockpiling and the perceived threat of COVID-19. “These results,” the authors say, “suggest that Emotionality may fuel the feeling of being threatened by the Covid-19 pandemic which may consequently foster toilet paper stockpiling.”
Finally, Conscientiousness, a trait characterized by diligence and perfectionism, was correlated with buying toilet paper more frequently, purchasing it in larger quantities, and having a larger stock of toilet paper at home. This suggests that stockpiling might partially reflect the tendency of highly orderly people to overprepare for potential difficulties in life. The authors, therefore, suggest that public campaigns should stress the sufficient functioning of the supply chain to dispel concerns that resources might become scarce during the pandemic.
As a takeaway from their findings, the authors conclude, “low anxiety and little desire to plan ahead are the best psychological protective factors to refrain from irrationally stockpiling limited resources in times of a health crisis.”
The study, “Influence of perceived threat of Covid-19 and HEXACO personality traits on toilet paper stockpiling”, was authored by Lisa Garbe, Richard Rau, and Theo Toppe.
(Photo credit: Gianni)