Why are people all over the world hoarding toilet paper in the face of the coronavirus? It comes down to FOMO, experts say.

"Fear of missing out” is a modern expression for herd mentality.

The run on toilet paper has left many supermarket shelves, including in Michigan, devoid of the bathroom essential.

“The internet,” Regine Tan, a student at the National University of Singapore, told Vice. “People see what others are doing and they have FOMO.”

Toilet paper hoarding started in Hong Kong in early February, Vice reports. A false rumor that China would stop exporting the product to the island spurred people to stockpile the product. Photos of the panic-buying were seen all over the world, inducing a global toilet paper hysteria.

“When people face uncertainties about the future, they would look for information and clues with reference to others,” Tan Ern Ser, associate professor of sociology at the National University of Singapore, told Vice.

When people start panic-buying, others tend to follow suit, for fear of not getting any of the product themselves, especially products considered essential, like food, hand sanitizer and toilet paper, the report said. The United States, Japan, Singapore and Australia have all fell victim to bathroom tissue hoarding.

Another theory suggests that stockpiling gives people a sense of control in the midst of public health crisis, during which they are mostly helpless, the report said.

Unfortunately, irrational stockpiling can create shortages, which can lead to increased prices. People who overbuy products they don’t need – such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer and soap – are depriving others of those items.

As of Friday, March 13, Michigan has 12 “presumptive positive” cases of coronavirus. On Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used an executive order to prohibit gatherings of more than 250 people in Michigan until April 5. Late Thursday, she declared all K-12 schools closed through April 5. On Tuesday, Whitmer declared a state of emergency.

PREVENTION TIPS

Michigan’s State Emergency Operations Center is coordinating state-government resources and the response to the coronavirus spread. It has shared the following tips:

What you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases:

For statewide and national information on the virus, visit Michigan.gov/Coronavirus or CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

READ MORE:

Michigan grocery stores run low on hand sanitizer, toilet paper as coronavirus concern rises

Friday, March 13: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Find MLive’s complete coronavirus coverage here.