Zoom fatigue: Four main causes and how to stop it

Sitting at your computer all day is no walk in the park, but one researcher has figured out why Zoom calls are so exhausting.

It’s not just your imagination. Spending your day at work sitting through boring video conferencing calls can wear you out and one researcher has identified the reasons why.

While it might not be as strenuous as digging ditches or corralling a screaming class of kindergarteners, sitting at your computer all day is still no walk in the park.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought forward a predicted revolution that theorists expected would have people in their offices less, using video conferencing to hold meetings outside their workplace or without having to travel interstate or overseas.

“Zoom fatigue” is one of the pandemic’s less serious side effects. Picture: Olivier Douliery / AFP

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But just because we can have a face-to-face video meeting over the internet, doesn’t mean it should always be our first choice.

That’s according to Stanford University communications professor Jeremy Bailenson.

He argued in a recent article published in the Amerian Physchological Association’s journal of Technology, Mind and Behaviour there are four reasons why video calls can wear you out.

He offered the argument in the hope of improving the Zoom software that has quickly become ubiquitous, though he notes he didn’t want to vilify any particular service as rival video conferencing tools have similar flaws that can lead to “zoom fatigue”.

INTENSE EYE CONTACT

Prof Bailenson argues one contributor to Zoom fatigue is the same simple fear that many deal with: Speaking in front of other people, or rather, being seen speaking in front of them.

“Social anxiety of public speaking is one of the biggest phobias that exists in our population,” Prof Bailenson said.

“When you’re standing up there and everybody’s staring at you, that’s a stressful experience.”

It gets worse on a video call however.

In a usual meeting, rarely are all eyes on the person speaking.

People will typically look away to others in attendance, or else down to take notes while the speaker makes their point, but on a Zoom call, everyone is looking at everyone else, pretty much all of the time.

In addition, depending on the size of the screen you’re watching it on, faces can appear larger than life, tricking your brain into thinking you’re in a confrontational or intimate situation.

“You’re seeing their face at a size which simulates a personal space that you normally experience when you’re with somebody intimately,” Prof Bailenson said

He recommended that, until platforms change their interface, you take Zoom out of its full-screen option to minimise face sizes and create more space between yourself and the camera to avoid spending “many, many hours … in this hyper-aroused state”.

If only someone had warned Jeffrey Toobin.

SELF-CRITICISM

Being seen by everyone on a Zoom call can lead to a “hyper arouse” state. Picture: Supplied

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Zoom and other video conferencing apps don’t just show the people you’re talking to,

they also constantly stream what you look like to them as well.

If you’ve ever looked into keeping budgerigars as a pet you’ve probably been warned against putting a mirror in their cage, lest they spend all day staring at themselves — it’s not good for birds and it’s not good for us either.

“It’s taxing on us. It’s stressful. And there’s lots of research showing that there are negative emotional consequences to seeing yourself in a mirror.”

“In the real world, if somebody was following you around with a mirror constantly – so that while you were talking to people, making decisions, giving feedback, getting feedback – you were seeing yourself in a mirror, that would just be crazy. No one would ever consider that,” Prof Bailsenson said.

He recommended platforms remove the feature and until then said you should hide your self by right-clicking on your frame and hitting “hide self view”.

REDUCED MOBILITY

An external webcam you can place further away can let you move around on a Zoom call. Picture: Lionel Bonaventure / AFP

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When you’re talking to someone in person or on the phone you usually don’t just sit there, you get up and move around, or do a classic “walk and talk” conversation.

Most cameras are set in one spot and won’t follow you around the room (then again, some others will), leaving you chained to your desk.

Not only can this be physically taxing it can also mean you’re not having the best ideas you can.

Prof Bailenson pointed to research showing increased cognitive performance while moving, and suggested getting an external webcam you can place further away, as well as encouraging everyone in the chat to turn their video off occasionally if they need a rest.

INCREASED COGNITIVE LOAD

Video conferencing can force you to exaggerate your expressions and gestures, which can be exhausting.

When you’re having an in-person conversation, there’s a lot of communication that doesn’t make a sound, but that you definitely do see.

Non-verbal communication like gestures, nodding and facial expressions are a natural process of having a conversation, but the subtlety is lost on a video call according to Prof Bailenson, and attempts to make up for that can leave you even more exhausted.

“You’ve got to make sure that your head is framed within the centre of the video. If you want to show someone that you are agreeing with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up. That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate.”

Prof Bailenson suggested taking occasional breaks from being on camera, and turn away from the screen altogether “so that for a few minutes you are not smothered with gestures that are perceptually realistic but socially meaningless.”

Ultimately, his best tip is to consider why you’re holding a video meeting in the first place when a simple phone call or email could suffice.

“Videoconferencing is a good thing for remote communication, but just think about the medium – just because you can use video doesn’t mean you have to,” Prof Bailenson said.

Originally published as Zoom fatigue: Four main causes and how to stop it