Stanford study shows why zoom fatigue is real

The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives to a virtual space. Why is this so tiring?

The tiredness doesn’t seem deserved. We are not flying a plane, teaching children or rescuing people trapped in burning buildings. Even so, at the end of the day, the sensation is so universal that it has a name of its own: Zoom Fadiga.

Jeremy Bailenson, professor at Stanford University, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab, has some answers. In a survey published Tuesday in the newspaper Technology, Mind and Behavior, he describes the psychological impact of spending hours every day on Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, FaceTime or other video call interfaces. It is the first peer-reviewed article to analyze zoom fatigue from a psychological perspective.

There are four main reasons, according to Bailenson, that video chats make us so tired. And he proposes some easy solutions.

We are very close for comfort

Think of the normal meeting. You may be looking at the speaker. Or maybe you’re noticing those new stylish blinds, your colleague’s weekend tan or the traffic in the streets below.

But on Zoom calls, everyone is looking at everyone, all the time. And our faces can look too big.

When so many faces are so close to ours in real life, our subconscious takes it personally. Tell us: either they want to get into a fight or get a mate. “What is happening, in fact, when you use Zoom for many, many hours, is that you are in this state of hyperexcitation,” according to Bailenson.

Solution: Exit the full screen option to decrease the face size. Use an external keyboard to create a comfortable space between you and the masses.

We really hate watching each other

For most of us, that quick morning glimpse in the mirror is all we really need. After hours of looking at us, we became critical. We noticed that sloppy shaving. The delayed haircut. The dead plant on our left shoulder. Or maybe the light is totally wrong, casting deep shadows, and we look like a member of the witness protection program.

“It is tiring for us. It’s stressful, ”said Bailenson. “There are negative emotional consequences to seeing yourself in the mirror.”

Solution: Use the “hide auto-preview” button, which you can access by right-clicking on your own photo, once your face is properly framed in the video.

We are stuck in a chair

Humans are restless creatures. During the calls, we like to stroll. Even if we are stuck in a conference table meeting, we find ways to stretch – leaning back in a chair or looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. But with video conferencing, we are limited by the camera’s narrow field of view.

This is deadly both physically and mentally. “There is growing research now that says that when people are moving, they have better cognitive performance,” said Bailenson.

Solution: an external camera further away from the screen allows you to scribble, release neck tension, rotate while sitting or moving, just like you do in real meetings. Turning off the video periodically during meetings is a good rule of thumb to set for groups, creating a short non-verbal rest.

We can’t see body language, so it takes more energy to communicate

At best, the meetings can function as subtle symphonies, with everyone harmonizing their postures, laughter and complicit looks. We read each other’s tips. Conversations have a rhythm.

It’s not like that with Zoom. There is a stiffness, with only one speaker at a time. We must listen carefully to complete the sentence, so as not to interrupt. To make an important point, we must add drama and talent.

“If you want to show someone you are agreeing with her, you need to give an exaggerated wave or raise your thumb,” said Bailenson. “It adds cognitive load, because you are using mental calories to communicate.”