Why We Have Zoom Fatigue and How To Fix It.
I came across this article yesterday and it grabbed me.
Stanford researchers identify four causes for ‘Zoom fatigue’ and their simple fixes.
It got me thinking, how many hours am I spending on zoom? Well, my friend…. 😳
I took a glance over a few months, averaging it all out, and I range between 18 -26 hours weekly 😱 on video calls. That breaks down to 3.6 - 5.2 hours A DAY! 😱 How am I even able to get things done?!
Look back at your calendar over the past few weeks and add up a rough estimate of how many video calls you had? Let me me know in the comments or DM me, I am so curious to compare myself to others!
This article breaks down four inherent flaws built into video chat platforms. Zoom set us up for failure. It also provides some fixes though, woohoo! Here’s a link to read it, which I recommend, it’s very interesting.
https://news.stanford.edu/2021/02/23/four-causes-zoom-fatigue-solutions/
I’ve also broken it down a little, so let’s dive in!
First off, Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the Standford Virtual Human Interaction Lab wants to be clear, he’s not hating on zoom. He uses it himself.
He is trying to deconstruct Zoom fatigue from a psychological context. He determined there are four top reasons why we are feeling this type of fatigue.
1) Our faces are way too big!
The size of the faces on our screens is unnatural.
Here’s what’s funny and not so funny about this. When faces are that close to us in real life our internal spidey sense takes it as a situation of conflict or mating. HA!
“What’s happening, in effect, when you’re using Zoom for many, many hours is you’re in this hyper-aroused state,” Bailenson said.
The Fix:
Don’t have your zoom full screen says Bailenson. Shrink that craziness down on your screen. He also recommends using an external keyboard so you can sit farther away from the screen. I have terrible eyesight and this doesn’t seem practical to me, but I can understand how helpful this would be.
2) We only look at ourselves on zoom. Or is it just me...
In the real world, we aren’t walking around seeing a reflection of ourselves when we interact with people. Due to gazing into our own beautiful faces, we start to become more critical. Bailenson says, “It’s taxing on us. It’s stressful. And there’s lots of research showing that there are negative emotional consequences to seeing yourself in a mirror.”
The Fix:
Stop looking at yourself!
Hide your personal view or turn off your camera if the situation is right. You’re going to feel calmer, I know it.
3) We aren’t moving our bodies.
Video calls and chats cause us to stay in our seats now.
When we are on the phone, a lot of us pace around and move our bodies. Think about it, if you’re having a regular conversation with someone you aren't sitting in one place for long stretches of time.
“There’s a growing research now that says when people are moving, they’re performing better cognitively,” Bailenson said.
The Fix:
Bailenson recommends that we reassess our space that we video call in. Take that external keyboard and move further back, get a stand-up desk, allow more space to move. Also, turn off that screen and stretch and move so you can give your brain a break and your body some love.
4) Our brains are going crazy with video body language.
In-person nonverbal communication is something we grow up learning and knowing. Now that we are in a tiny little box, our brains are working overtime to figure out how to read the “room”.
Bailenson says, “You’ve got to make sure that your head is framed within the center of the video. If you want to show someone that you are agreeing with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up. That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate.”
The Fix:
Turn off your screen when you can and go a step further and stop looking at it completely.
“This is not simply you turning off your camera to take a break from having to be nonverbally active, but also turning your body away from the screen,” Bailenson said, “so that for a few minutes you are not smothered with gestures that are perceptually realistic but socially meaningless.”
Read the article for an even more in-depth understanding, it’s a good one!
My ah-ha moment was realizing how many hours I am spending on zoom. The first step to zoom fatigue is admitting you have a zoom fatigue problem.
I do like the fun zoom filters! But, being off-camera, moving my body, and taking a visual break from all the tiny boxes is already making me feel calmer.
This blog was written by Kristina Kury, Founder & CEO of Sprout Creative. We work with small business owners and entrepreneurs who are busy running their business, overwhelmed with marketing and whose growth has plateaued to turn their marketing into a more manageable, automated marketing machine.
You can follow her at @SproutCreativeLA on Facebook and Instagram.