EASE ZOOM FATIGUE WITH THESE TIPS

Even though the worst of the pandemic seems to be behind us, videoconferencing apps such as Zoom will probably remain in our lives. Unfortunately, communicating this way tends to leave people feeling worn out, and a Stanford University paper has pinpointed some of the surprising reasons why.

For one, videoconferencing shows you close-up views of people’s faces—people who all appear to be making prolonged direct eye contact with you because they’re looking at their screens. During inperson interactions, this kind of body language is usually reserved for either intimate relationships or conflict. Although your conscious mind knows it’s just a business meeting or a friendly chat, another part of you may still instinctively find those nonverbal signals unnerving. To reduce this source of strain, switch to audio-only mode for a while or simply shrink the application’s window so people’s heads don’t appear so large and close.

Most videoconferencing software also shows you your own video feed, and it can be unhealthy to see your own face for such long stretches of time. That’s because seeing your image makes it hard to resist evaluating yourself, which is stressful and often lowers your mood. The fix for this one is simple: Once you’ve made sure you’re framed properly, hide the self-view window and focus instead on others in the meeting and the topic of discussion.