我们为什么要囤积厕纸?可能是你的性格类型(的原因)

我们为什么要囤积厕纸?可能是你的性格类型(的原因)

There's a special memory from this spring that may become buried in our collective unconscious.

这个春天有一段特殊的记忆可能会被埋葬在我们的集体潜意识里。

In the early days of the pandemic, with toilet paper nearly impossible to find, there was a breakthrough moment when -- after multiple trips to the store -- you scored a sweet victory. You finally tracked down a roll of toilet paper.

在流行病的早期，几乎找不到卫生纸，有一个突破性的时刻，在多次去商店之后，你取得了胜利。你终于找到一卷卫生纸。

People who panic buy and hoard toilet paper score high in personality assessment for traits of "conscientiousness," according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

根据一项发表在向公众开放的期刊《公共科学图书馆·综合》上的新研究，那些恐慌购买和囤积厕纸的人在“严谨性”的性格评估中得分很高。

"We didn't have a theory in mind. We just wanted to explore the personality factors at play," said study coauthor Lisa Garbe, a doctoral student in the department of political science at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

研究合著者、瑞士圣加仑大学政治学系博士生莉萨·加贝说：“我们脑子里没有一种理论，我们只是想探索人格因素的作用。”

Comparing buying habits with personality types

比较购买习惯和性格类型

The three researchers surveyed 1,029 adults from 35 countries across the US and Europe. They asked questions about subjects' recent toilet paper purchasing during the height of the coronavirus pandemic from March 23 to March 29.

三位研究人员调查了美国和欧洲35个国家的1029名成年人。他们询问了受试者最近在3月23日至29日冠状病毒流行高峰期间购买卫生纸的情况。

Then they collected participants' responses on a personality assessment called the HEXACO Inventory.

然后，他们收集了参与者对一项名为“HEXACO量表”的性格评估的回答。

Developed in 2000 by psychologists in Canada as a way to map personality attributes across different cultures, the HEXACO Inventory measures people's characteristics in six broad domains: Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience.

HEXACO量表是由加拿大心理学家在2000年开发的，是一种绘制不同文化背景下的人格属性的方法。该量表测量了人们在六个方面的特征:诚实-谦逊、情绪性、外向性、随和性、尽责性和开放性。

The inventory uses "Conscientiousness" as an umbrella term that covers traits such as organization, diligence, perfectionism and prudence.

这份量表使用了“尽责性”作为一个总括性术语，涵盖了组织、勤奋、完美主义和谨慎等特质。

People falling in that category were the ones most likely to self-report either hoarding or panic-buying toilet paper. This is the friend you know who likes to plan ahead and overprepare.

属于这一类别的人最有可能自我报告囤积或恐慌性购买厕纸。这种朋友喜欢提前计划和过度准备。

The final part of the study asked respondents whether they felt threatened by coronavirus. Those who felt most threatened by Covid-19 were the most likely to hoard toilet paper.

研究的最后一部分询问受访者是否感觉受到了冠状病毒的威胁。那些感觉受Covid-19威胁最大的人最有可能囤积厕纸。

"That was the most important finding in the study," Garbe said. ""Once you feel threatened by something, you start behaving irrationally. That is very human."

“这是研究中最重要的发现，” 加贝说。“一旦你感到受到威胁，你就会开始做出不理智的行为。”这是非常人性化的。”

Panic buying is contagious

恐慌性购买具有传染性

In March, some companies reported a 700% increase in toilet paper sales, and manufacturers were overwhelmed by the unexpected demand. The heart of the matter still remains a mystery.

今年3月，一些公司报告称厕纸销量增长了700%，出乎意料的需求令制造商不堪重负。这件事的核心仍然是个谜。

At the time psychologists pointed to several underlying factors explaining the phenomenon.

当时，心理学家指出了几个潜在的因素来解释这一现象。

For one thing, conflicting messages from national and state officials can create an environment of anxiety. Panic buying can beget more panic buying.

首先，来自国家和州官员的相互矛盾的信息可能会造成一种焦虑的环境。恐慌性购买会导致更多的恐慌性购买。

Now this study offers some new empirical data backing up exactly who caused the toilet paper scare.

现在，这项研究提供了一些新的实证数据来支持究竟是谁引发了厕纸恐慌。

When you see someone in the store, panic buying, that can cause a fear contagion effect.

当你看到有人在商店里抢购时，就会造成恐慌传染效应。