Coronavirus, which started in China and spread rapidly around the world, was declared a Pandemic by the World Health Organization; It also causes people's concerns to increase at the same pace.
These days when schools are closed, travel to many countries is banned, events are postponed, many workplaces start working from home and we should not leave the house unless necessary; The most important precautions we need to take now to protect ourselves from the virus are; Keeping social distance between people and avoiding contact such as kissing, hugging, shaking hands brings with it a feeling of frustration for many people.
For human beings, the feeling of unknown causes intense anxiety in the person and the atmosphere of panic can spread faster than the coronavirus. “I wonder if I will be infected with the coronavirus?”, “From whom will it be transmitted?”, “I wonder if I have the virus?” Intensely anxious thoughts such as these can cause depression, anxiety and paranoia in a person after a while, as well as an increase in obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
So why does the unknown lead a person into panic?
Our brain develops certain thought and behavior patterns regarding safety and insecurity throughout the day. In this process, some people ignore the virus and go out saying "Nothing will happen to me" or "The virus will not infect us" and develop resistance against coronavirus, while some people experience intense anxiety and spend their days at home in a panic atmosphere.
Uncertainty and uncontrolled emotions lead the person into panic. The most basic fear of the unknown is the fear of death. Not knowing what death is like causes the person to suppress this feeling and continue their daily activities. In the corona epidemic, the increasing rates and this being the only thing on the agenda trigger the anxiety of not knowing from whom and how the virus will be transmitted, "I wonder if I have it too", "I wonder if something will happen to me or my relatives", and the anxiety causes the person to take control and develop a feeling of panic.
The brain looks for a good or bad outcome to adapt itself to the situation, but not knowing what to do in a situation of uncertainty can cause a loss of control in the person. Not knowing what the process will be and leaving homes in most countries of the world Warnings caused people to panic and the shelves of the markets to be emptied. So, why did so many people rush to markets and pharmacies at the same time to stock up and many products sold out simultaneously?
Since the unknown causes anxiety and panic in the person, people try to guarantee themselves against not knowing what to do, and they stock up on this feeling of emptiness by shopping, thinking "Just in case". Another reason is the snowball effect. People influenced each other with the thought "Everyone goes to the market and buys pasta, I should buy it too", and the supermarket shelves were emptied with the panic of "So many people are buying it, this is the right thing to do, as if I am doing something wrong if I don't buy it". Another most stocked product all over the world was toilet paper. Steven Taylor, author of the 2009 book The Psychology of Pandemics, said: “One of the things that happens during a pandemic, when people are under threat of infection, is that disgust sensitivity increases. They are more likely to experience the feeling of disgust, and people take action to avoid disgust". "Disgust is like an alarm mechanism that warns you to avoid some contamination. If I see a scarecrow covered in saliva, I won't touch it, I will feel disgusted and that will keep us safe. That's why there is a very close connection between the fear of being infected and disgust. There's no better tool for eliminating disgusting substances than toilet paper. "I think that's why toilet paper has become a conditional symbol of security," he explained.
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