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If you’re feeling more exhausted than ever from an endless loop of Zoom calls, you’re not alone.
After extensive research, Professor Jeremy Bailenson of Stanford, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL), explained exactly why.
According to Stanford News, Bailenson identified four main causes of general videoconferencing fatigue. In his peer-reviewed academic article for Technology, mind and behavior, he asks how and why constant video conferencing can be tiring. Fortunately, he also suggests ways to alleviate the exhaustion associated with it.
Bailenson found that one of the main reasons video calls are so taxing is eye contact. There is an “unnatural” amount of eye contact with others during these lectures.
“Social anxiety from public speaking is one of the biggest phobias that exists in our population,” says Bailenson. “When you’re standing up there and everyone is looking at you, it’s a stressful experience.”
He says that by using Zoom for “many, many hours” we go into a “hyper-excited state” due to the proximity of other people’s faces. As our brain interprets this as an intense situation, it can take a toll on the body. One recommendation to alleviate this stress is to use a smaller Zoom window and reduce the use of full screen.
Likewise, Bailenson thinks seeing each other on video calls can be tiring, much like someone “constantly following you with a mirror”. His solution? Platforms should eliminate this practice as a regular feature. Users can hide the “personal view” after making sure they are properly framed before calls.
The manager also says that video calls can frustrate our mobility. Being forced to sit in the same place to communicate by video limits our ability to move around in ways that are not “natural”. It recommends placing the external cameras further away from the screen or periodically turning the cameras off to an idle state.
Finally, Bailenson finds that there is a higher cognitive load during video chats than during face-to-face interactions.
“You have to make sure your head is properly framed in the center of the video,” he says. “If you want to show someone you agree with them, you have to nod your head exaggeratedly or lift your thumb. It adds a cognitive load when you use mental calories to communicate.”
A quick fix, he says, is to take an “audio-only” break every now and then. These tips can be applied to the overall zoom experience.
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