Research explains why Zoom calls can leave us feeling tired

The COVID-19 pandemic has moved our lives into a virtual space. Why is that so exhausting?

The tiredness doesn’t feel earned. We’re not flying an airplane, teaching toddlers or rescuing people trapped in burning buildings. Still, by the end of the day, the feeling is so universal that it has its own name: Zoom fatigue.

Stanford University professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab, has some answers. In research recently published in the journal Technology, Mind and Behavior, he describes the psychological impact of spending hours every day on Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, FaceTime or other video-calling interfaces. It’s the first peer-reviewed article to analyze Zoom fatigue from a psychological perspective.

There are four major reasons, according to Bailenson, that video chats make us so weary.

We’re too close for comfort

Think of the normal meeting. You might be looking at the speaker. Or maybe you’re noticing those fancy new window blinds or the traffic on the streets below. But on Zoom calls, everyone is staring at everyone, all the time. And our faces can appear too large.

When so many faces are so close to ours in real life, our subconscious tells us they either want to pick a fight or have sex.

“What’s happening, in effect, when you’re using Zoom for many, many hours is you’re in this hyper-aroused state,” Bailenson said.

■ Solution: Exit out of the full-screen option to shrink faces’ size. Use an external keyboard to create a comfortable space.

We really hate watching ourselves

For most of us, that quick morning glimpse in the mirror is all we really need. After hours of self-gazing, we turn critical.

“It’s taxing on us. It’s stressful,” said Bailenson. “There are negative emotional consequences to seeing yourself in a mirror.”

■ Solution: Use the “hide self-view” button, which you can access by right-clicking your own photo, once your face is framed properly in the video.

We’re trapped in a chair

Humans are restless creatures. During phone calls, we like to wander around. Even if stuck at a meeting at a conference table, we find ways to stretch. But with videoconferencing, we’re limited by the camera’s narrow field of view. This is both physically and mentally deadening.

“There’s a growing research now that says when people are moving, they’re performing better cognitively,” Bailenson said.

■ Solution: An external camera farther away from the screen lets you doodle, release neck tension, do a seated twist or fidget, just like you do in real meetings.

We can’t see body language, so it takes more energy to communicate

At their best, meetings can act like subtle symphonies, with everyone harmonizing their postures, laughter and knowing glances. We read each other’s cues. Conversations have rhythm.

Not so with Zoom. There’s a rigidity, with only one speaker at a time. We must listen closely for sentence completion, so we don’t interrupt. To make an important point, we must add drama and flair.

“If you want to show someone that you are agreeing with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up,” said Bailenson. “That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate.”

■ Solution: During long stretches of meetings, give yourself an “audio only” break. Don’t just turn off your camera — turn your body away from the screen. Gaze at that wall that needs painting or the birds outside the window.

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