Since we began to implement teleworking practically every day we are exposed to video calls that, at the end of the day, can leave us exhausted.
The overexposure to screens simultaneouslysuch as the computer, the cell phone, a television, a tablet, plus the succession of voice calls and deadlines that mark the top line of delivery dates, submit collaborators to an effort that exhausts. It’s not just Zoom, but any other commonly used tool today, like Meet, Teams, Webex, Skype, that could offer more user-friendly and adaptable options for consumer use.
A team of researchers from Stanford University, led by communication professor Jeremy Bailenson, director of the Virtual Human Interaction Laboratory, stopped at investigate the psychological consequences of spending several hours in front of video platforms most popular calls
The first thing he affirms is that “just as the phrase ‘search Google’ became a generic action referring to obtaining information, the ‘zoom in’ is its equivalent in videoconferences”.
It was in 2020 as a consequence of the covid-19 pandemic that the use of the platforms skyrocketed. The ones that grew the most, overwhelmingly, were Zoom and Microsoft Teams. At that time, this company announced that 44 million users generated more than 900 million minutes of virtual meetings every day in a specific week. Zoom currently has more than 500,000 active users, many of them on paid versions of various scales. The company grew +325% in 2020, and continues to rise.
The “Zoom fatigue” effect
Based on the Stanford study, there are at least four consequences of video calls that produce fatigue from continued use:
1. Excessive amount of eye contact
Constantly looking at a screen, where people move, and, at the same time, focusing on details, expressions, the quality of communication and the tasks themselves, is usually exhausting. ohAnd all that you do at the same time! In a video call each one is looking at all the people, and in turn, they are looking at you, in the event that you have the camera on.
This is especially stressful for people with fear of public exposuresuch as those who are afraid to speak in front of other people.
Also the size of the faces can cause discomfort: there are faces in the foreground, and others further away; some with more light and others almost in penumbra. If you are in one-on-one conversations, what the platform simulates is a size that it would like to assimilate as if they were face to face. What happens here -says Bailenson- is that the brain interprets that as an intense situation, and generates hyper excitement.
Tools: reduce the dimension of the faces, for example, placing the “panel view” feature where both tiles will look balanced, or in a group they are all fairly equal and aligned. If the “speaker” view function is placed, the speaker appears large, and everyone else appears small. Also, lowering the audio volume helps calm you down: it is not necessary to be with the sound to full, especially if you use headphones. If the other person, or you, are not well framed, you can ask you to slightly change the angle, so they can see each other in a similar way and be in time -go to the beat- even if it is virtually. Remember that smile and show empathymaking gestures to reaffirm concepts and show closeness beyond being virtually, are highly recommended aspects to cross that invisible wall that distances them.
2. Seeing you all the time exhausts you
in video calls there is a box where you are always in sight; “This is unnatural -says the researcher-, because nobody walks through life with someone who follows you with a mirror where you see yourself permanently. There are several studies that state that when you see a reflection of yourself, you become more critical of yourself..” That’s why it’s exhausting to see yourself on the screen all the time, every day.
Tools: until the platforms implement the automatic function of hide only you while on video call, you can do it manually, since many have the option to hide your own view -usually by right-clicking on your own photo-. By the way, resist the temptation to look at yourself on that monitor while you participate. Also, at certain times where feasible, turning off the camera is an option, letting others know you are present, albeit without video; It is fair to recognize that this practice is not very well regarded in most cases, but It is common when you attend talks or conferences.
3. Video calls reduce natural human mobility
Another consequence of “Zoom fatigue” is that you need be present all the time in front of the screen. Cameras offer a set framing space, and you’ll usually be sitting in front of the camera. in other contextsFor example, a phone call you walk, you move, you gesticulatethat is to say that your body expresses itself.
Tools: if you are the one who exposes you can do it standing up, with a plane close enough to the camera at the level of your eyes, so that they see you well, and, at the same time, you can move within the frame and gesticulate. If you attend a meeting, you can also do it standing up, or taking a seat on a high stool, which is not the same as being rigidly in a chair. Also remember to do breaks every 45 minutes: at least 15 dedicated to moving, distracting yourself and changing space to recover energy and change air.
4. Cognitive attention
Stanford research has also focused on the difference between a face to face conversationWhere we have non-verbal register of what the other expresses with his gestures, versus video chats, as Professor Bailenson calls them. There is an extra cognitive effort in front of the screen. For example, to express that you agree, you exaggerate the affirmative nod, or you raise your thumb very visibly, and even respond with the virtual reaction buttons of the platforms. “This adds cognitive loads and a great mental effort is made to communicate”, indicates.
Tools: in long meetings, take breaks while being present only with the audio function and move from the place, while you keep listening. Do stretches, neck rotations, breathing exercises, take notes on papermake diagrams of what is being explained, and draw doodles – not on another screen next to the video call, but on paper, something physical-, are ways of having more body availability and not stay stagnant.
5 questions to measure virtual fatigue in your company
To create better guidelines in video calls, a study is being carried out -not yet concluded at the time of this article, March 2021-, on how to measure interpersonal technology fatigue and its causes. To participate in the complete study of the ZEF Scale, you can enter here.
In the meantime, these questions can help your company and team assess how burned out they are, and take steps to correct:
1. How exhausted do you feel after the video conference? (for example, rate it from 1 to 10)
2. How irritated do your eyes feel after a video conference?
3. How much do you tend to avoid social situations after a video conference?
4. How emotionally drained do you feel after a video conference?
5. How often do you feel too tired to do other things after a video conference?