“Zoom fatigue” has become a common phrase to describe the exhaustion or burnout caused by overusing virtual platforms of communication, which have become a staple of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers at Stanford University recently released the first peer-reviewed, psychological study of Zoom fatigue, according to www.fastcompany.com. They discovered four different causes and helpful solutions for each.
- Constant close-up eye contact is intense. In a typical Zoom discussion, the amount of eye contact far exceeds what you would experience during real-life interactions. And faces on a Zoom call typically are larger and closer than in real-life work discussions. Solution: Minimize the face sizes of attendees into grid view, and sit back a bit to allow yourself more personal space.
- Watching yourself during video chats is exhausting. In real life, you spend much less time looking at your reflection. The researchers cite studies showing when seeing one’s own reflection, people are more critical of themselves, which is stressful. Solution: Confirm your lighting and setup look good; then, adjust the settings to hide your view of yourself.
- Video calls reduce our mobility. During typical in-person discussions, people move around. On Zoom, people sit immobile for hours. Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, said: “There’s a growing research that says that when people are moving, they’re performing better cognitively.” Solution: Create a wider visual field for your camera; for example, an external camera often allows you more space to move than a laptop camera.
- Video calls are cognitively exhausting. Your brain works much harder to send and receive cues through a screen, leading to hours of exaggerated expressions and increased concentration. Solution: When feasible, turn off your camera for breaks and turn your body away from the screen.
These fatigue inducers are not specific to Zoom—they can apply to all videoconferencing. The researchers hope videoconferencing apps will incorporate solutions to these problems into their basic setups.
