Zoom fatigue: characteristics, symptoms, causes and what to do

With the arrival of the pandemic and work at home, some unexpected phenomena for mental health have begun to appear, such as Zoom fatigue.

Throughout this article we will see what it consists of and how it affects us in a context in which video calls are increasingly normalized.

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What is Zoom fatigue?

Let's start by defining the term "Zoom fatigue". This refers to a psychological phenomenon characterized by the feeling of tiredness and lack of energy after having spent the whole day in the middle of video conferencing or being people observed through a camera.

This situation seems to be not only the result of the time that is spent in the middle of these activities, but there is also incidence of other factors. Here we explore some of them and some options to avoid it.

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Causes

These are the main causes of Zoom fatigue.

1. Camera presence

According to a study whose results have been published in the Journal of Applied Psychology under the title "The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings: A within-person field experiment",

having the camera turned on in virtual encounters can cause Zoom fatigue. This fact may be related to the need to show a professional image in front of co-workers and superiors, and a feeling of constant observation that is not the same as in the middle of work face-to-face.

In real life, you can avoid the pressure of being watched by unfamiliar or unfamiliar people by looking elsewhere or at the ground, as you would when you are in the elevator. In the work context, the space is distributed in such a way that people are not looking at each other's faces all the time and only some interactions are generated between some subjects.

But in the middle of a virtual meeting, all the faces are projected on the screen, and there is an observation of all the participants among themselves, creating a feeling comparable to being on a bus being observed by all passengers, which contributes to the experience of being evaluated by the the rest.

Having the camera turned on also creates heightened self-awareness, leading to think about the image that is being projected before all the audience of the meeting. You may also feel pressure to constantly observe the speaker or meeting host to avoid making a bad impression.

In addition, the non-verbal cues of the participants can be a source of confusion and anxiety for all the participants of the events, since the gestures and expressions become little understandable for lack of a context to interpret them and not knowing who they are directed to or what situation they gender.

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2. Staring in a mirror all day

A situation that occurs in Zoom sessions or in any other of the videoconferencing platforms has to do with observing one's own image for most of the time that the interaction with the other lasts (unless the option to hide this image is chosen, which is determined with the Program).

This increases the chances of judging yourself more often., which could be positive for some people to improve their appearance or behaviors, but in many other cases it can be a source of stress. This situation tends to affect women more strongly than men, who may direct negative attention to themselves. However, constant observation could affect men as well.

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3. Stimulus overload

In relation to the previous factor, the difference that exists between non-verbal communication in person and non-verbal communication in the middle of virtuality can be found. In in-person interactions, facial and body gestures flow more easily and rarely think about what is being communicated. Nevertheless, Through virtual encounters, excessive awareness can be generated about what is being communicated through non-verbal language and there is a much higher demand for cognitive resources to compensate for those limitations of the virtual format of the interaction.

In online interactions, not only do you need to make an effort to be present and communicate a message naturally as you would in person, but you also need to arrange the space in which the person will be located, configure the camera to record a certain space, think about the gestures that will be made and if they will be framed in the image that receives the interlocutor, and constantly observe the camera to give the notion that the interlocutor is being observed in the eyes, something that in the long run is unnatural and requires deliberate efforts. These actions also lead to more errors in the middle of communication, thus contributing to Zoom's fatigue.

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4. Body causes of fatigue

To keep your self-image in the field of vision of the people attending the conferences sitting still in a chair is required for most of the day.

Most people tend to stay close to the screen and keyboard for many minutes at a time, which can be a contributing factor to people's fatigue. In the case of video calls, people may feel that due to various cultural norms, they must be placed in a position where are visible to their co-workers, which adds an additional factor to the discomfort generated by the psychological factors that we have viewed.

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Consequences and psychological effects

An important consequence is that the fatigue generated by virtual meetings affects the expression of the voice and the commitment of workers or students, who It is reflected in a lack of contributions, and the desire to participate in online meetings.

This occurs as a result of voice expression and engagement being some behaviors that can be evaluated and judged by co-workers, which can lead to people to avoid speaking or being “hooked” on the topics developed in the conferences so as not to be able to be evaluated.

At the same time, fatigue demands cognitive resources, making it difficult for people to focus. in the expression of their voice or in the commitment they show in virtual encounters with others persons.

The discomfort is not directly related to the meetings attended per day

You might think that the phenomenon is related to the various meetings that people have to attend on the same day. However, some studies have indicated that even though the number of people they serve virtual meetings has increased exponentially since the arrival of the pandemic and work on home, the duration of meetings has decreased by 11.5 percent compared to face-to-face meetings.

Women and new employees are the most affected

It has been observed that women are more affected by Zoom fatigue due to a sense of increased pressure to meet social standards of beauty and presentation and competence to perform.

New hires may feel pressured to present a better image to keep their jobs and to avoid giving a beginner image.

What to do to combat this phenomenon?

Sometimes it becomes impossible to turn off the camera as a result of the policies of the institutions in which we find ourselves; however, there are some practices that can help.

1. Take short breaks

Taking into account the consequences of observing your own image and that of others throughout the day, an appropriate action that can be taken is minimize the virtual meeting window being watched or move your gaze and reposition.

All co-workers may feel the same psychological and bodily effects in the middle of meetings virtual and therefore understand the need to change position or move for a moment to avoid the effects of this phenomenon.

2. Reduce the stimuli present on the screen

Based on the studies presented above, a major cause of Zoom fatigue is found in a heightened awareness of what others will think of us, augmented by the image of ourselves in the screen.

A tip for this situation can be to hide your own image in Zoom or in any other video calling platform that is being used.

Another helpful tip is avoid looking at the stimuli presented in the peer videos, like the environment in which they are.

3. Make use of the camera optional and plan an agenda

In case of being in an executive position, it may be appropriate to make the use of the camera optional in meetings, because fatigue can be increased on occasions when space is being shared with many people and some are unknown.

It may also be appropriate to have the figure of a facilitator to help develop communication in the middle of large groups, facilitating the creation of points in meetings and moments in which people should talk. This can avoid the negative consequences of constantly analyzing what others will think of your contributions and thus reduce the negative consequences of Zoom fatigue.