Why We Queue: A Psychologist Explains The Survival Instinct Driving India’s Petrol Panic

Fear of fuel shortages has gripped the nation, leading to a massive disconnect between government assurance and public action. Despite the Ministry of Petroleum insisting that stocks are stable—even with the supply chain disruptions caused by the US-Israel and Iran conflict—the sight of "serpentine queues" stretching past midnight has become the new normal, from the streets of Mumbai to every corner of India. The public appears trapped in a "crisis loop," hauntingly reminiscent of the sudden pan...