Stanford researchers identify cases of 'Zoom fatigue'
The researchers also claim to have identified their simple fixes.
By GADI ZAIGEric Yuan, CEO of Zoom Video Communications(photo credit: REUTERS/CARLO ALLEGRI)
As Zoom has become increasingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, a study conducted by Stanford researchers warns that using the platform extensively may tire you, according to a report by Stanford News.According to the study, reasons that one may be fatigued by zoom include excessive lengths of close-up eye contact, as well as a reduction of mobility as a result of video chatting. Furthermore, the study concluded that seeing your own face during video chats consistently in real-time can be fatiguing as well. Professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab, examined the psychological and mental consequences of spending too much time on zoom.He stated that reductions of mobility stem from the fact that a person generally has to stay in the same spot when in a video conference - unlike in phone conversations or in-person interactions where people are free to move about. “Videoconferencing is a good thing for remote communication, but just think about the medium – just because you can use video doesn’t mean you have to,” Bailenson said.According to studies cited by Bailenson, another negative effect of video chatting is people becoming increasingly critical of themselves when continuously looking at a direct reflection of their faces on zoom.A solution that the report offers to any sort of fatigue is to give yourself an "audio break." “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.”Bailenson clarified that he opposes the usage of Zoom and stressed how current implementations of videoconferencing technologies are exhausting, recommending interface improvements.He also noted that in video chats, humans have to work harder to send and receive signals, as within face-to-face interaction, nonverbal communication is quite natural and each of us naturally makes and interprets gestures and nonverbal cues subconsciously.Since social distancing regulations have begun to be implemented, daily virtual meetings have skyrocketed.Children, in particular, have seen their mental health decrease due to the excessive amounts of time many have been required to quarantine, with questions even being raised asking whether Israeli children's mental health is the next national disaster.
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