The science of Zoom fatigue

We all know it's real. The question is, why? Aren't face-to-face conversations the most natural thing?

Yes, but videoconferencing isn’t quite face-to-face. And normal conversations aren’t like this:

1. Prolonged, close-up eye contact. Even in the movies, a stare-down longer than 10 seconds is too tense.

2. Seeing yourself constantly. It's unnatural. And it tends to bring out self-criticism.

3. Reading nonverbal cues in low-def boxes. Nonverbal is like 80% of communication (+/- 20%....). We often can't even see hand gestures or body language on Zoom, just talking heads.

4. Being stuck in one place. We think & feel better when we move around. Zoom makes us even more rooted to a spot.

We aren't built for this. All these things create extra "cognitive load", which is just, well, exhausting.

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So here are 6 TIPS FOR BEATING ZOOM FATIGUE:

1. Hide your self-view

2. Shrink Zoom window size

3. Take video breaks

4. Turn off video after hellos

5. Make space to walk around

6. Make it a call! (which maybe should be #1)

All thanks to Jeremy Bailenson @ Stanford for the excellent research:

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

PS yes, it works for all video calls. #brandeponyms #zoomisthenewkleenex