Decoding “Zoom Fatigue”
Post by Anastasia Sares
The takeaway
During the COVID pandemic, the term “Zoom fatigue” was coined as people participated in more virtual meetings than ever before. Now, since virtual work is here to stay, scientists are trying to dissect this phenomenon to better understand what it is about virtual conferences that is so draining. It turns out there are many factors that may be at play, and not all of them have to do with the technology itself.
What’s different about video-conferencing?
Through conceptual analysis, it is possible to collect theories from different areas of psychological research about how virtual communication can cause fatigue. One important area of difference is eye contact: this is a crucial element of human nonverbal communication, and it works very differently in virtual meetings. In in-person meetings, we use eye contact sparingly, taking turns looking at different speakers, whereas, during an on-screen meeting, everyone can look at everyone else during the entire meeting—the experience of being stared at by 8-10 people for an hour straight can change our body’s arousal and stress responses. At the same time, full and mutual eye contact is impossible, because for one person to experience full eye contact, the other person has to look into their camera. Being in different spaces and unable to focus on the same things in the environment or experience the three-dimensional movement of another person further hampers nonverbal communication.
The lag in video calls is another important factor that can hamper behavioral and brain synchrony. People are very sensitive to conversational timing, and while spontaneous coordination can arise in person, it can often be disrupted in virtual environments. In-person, eye contact can also synchronize brain waves between individuals, but this effect is attenuated in virtual situations (as covered in a previous BrainPost).
Call quality can also increase the amount of effort needed for communication. Noisy audio can increase listening effort, which in turn reduces the neural resources left over for memory. In addition, poor video quality can increase visual fatigue. People on virtual calls may also feel the need to exaggerate their voice or expressive gestures in order to be understood, leading to heightened social monitoring and more fatigue.
Figure from Döring et al.
But wait, what if it’s not the technology?
As research into Zoom fatigue continues, it will be important to account for factors that are less related to the technology itself, and more related to the situations people might use it in. For example, when scheduling virtual meetings, the number and length of meetings might differ, as well as the number of breaks afforded, and the reason for needing a virtual meeting in the first place (home obligations, financial issues precluding travel, a global pandemic) might create a situation of stress before the meeting even starts. In addition, an individual’s technological ability and personality, including their opinion of virtual meetings, may impact their experience.
What's the impact?
As researchers continue to explore the underlying factors of "Zoom fatigue," a better understanding of the multifaceted reasons behind the exhaustion experienced in virtual meetings can be achieved. This knowledge can then be used to develop improved strategies and tools for virtual communication, ultimately enhancing the well-being and productivity of remote workers. With virtual work becoming an integral part of modern society, addressing the issue of Zoom fatigue is vital for fostering healthier, more effective communication in the digital era.
References +
- Döring, N., Moor, K. D., Fiedler, M., Schoenenberg, K., & Raake, A. (2022). Videoconference Fatigue: A Conceptual Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(4), 2061. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042061
- Troje, N. F. (2023). Zoom disrupts eye contact behaviour: Problems and solutions. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(5), 417–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2023.02.004
- Bailenson, J. N. (2021). Nonverbal overload: A theoretical argument for the causes of Zoom fatigue. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000030
- Zamm, A., Debener, S., & Sebanz, N. (2023). The spontaneous emergence of rhythmic coordination in turn taking. Scientific Reports, 2023(13), 3259. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18480-6
- Schwartz, L., Levy, J., Endevelt-Shapira, Y., Djalovski, A., Hayut, O., Dumas, G., & Feldman, R. (2022). Technologically-assisted communication attenuates inter-brain synchrony. NeuroImage, 264, 119677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119677