If you’re feeling more exhausted than ever before through an endless loop of Zoom calls, you ‘re not alone.
After extensive research, Stanford professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL), explained exactly why.
According to Stanford NewsBailenson identified four main causes of general fatigue at video conferencing. In his peer-reviewed academic paper for Technology, mind and behavior, he suggests how and why constant video conferencing can be tiring. Fortunately, he also suggests ways to alleviate the exhaustion of it.
Bailenson found that one of the main reasons why video calls are so taxable is because of all the eye contact. There is an “unnatural” eye contact with others during these conferences.
“Social anxiety about public speaking is one of the biggest phobias in our population,” Bailenson explains. “If you stand there and everyone stares at you, it’s a stressful experience.”
He says when we use ‘many, many hours’ of Zoom, we’re going into a’ hyper-excited state ‘because of the closeness of others’ faces. Since our brain interprets it as an intense situation, it can take a toll on the body. One recommendation to alleviate this tension is by using a smaller Zoom window and reducing the use of the full screen.
Similarly, Bailenson believes that it can be tiring to see yourself on video calls, like someone who “constantly chases you with a mirror.” His solution? Platforms should eliminate this practice as a regular feature. Users can hide ‘self-view’ after framing correctly before calls.
The director also says that video calls can reduce our mobility in frustrating ways. Being forced to sit in one place to communicate via video limits our ability to move in ‘ways’ that are not ‘natural’. He recommends placing external cameras further away from the screen or turning off cameras from time to time for rest.
Finally, Bailenson believes that there is a higher cognitive load during video chats than during face-to-face interaction.
“You need to make sure your head is framed in the middle of the video,” he says. ‘If you want to show someone that you agree with them, you need to do an exaggerated nod or stick your thumbs up. ”
A quick fix, he says, is to take an “audio-only” interruption from time to time. This is advice that can be applied to the overall Zoom experience.