Why women are suffering more from Zoom fatigue

Many researchers accept Zoom fatigue as legitimate. And new research indicates the fatigue affects women more than men.

In Zoom classes, I often felt like a distracted driver. The content became mind-numbing, and my thoughts wandered. Some of that is to be expected for a college student operating on too little sleep. But some of it stemmed from Zoom.

How could I be tired, though, if I’m just sitting in one place the entire time?

Researchers have characterized Zoom fatigue as reduced mental energy, decreased motivation and visual weariness from staring at a screen for too long.

Offline, when talking with someone, we can choose how long to make eye contact. An early study found that Americans will not make extended eye contact when too close to someone because this can induce anxiety. We often look down when standing next to an acquaintance in an elevator. But for friends and family, we can hold eye contact for longer at shorter distances. On Zoom, there is little distance. Faces are close. In real life, we solve this by looking down. On Zoom, we are left with little choice but to look at everyone’s eyes.

And if we’re not looking at other people, we’re probably looking at ourselves. Researchers first demonstrated in a 1972 study that when we can see ourselves in a mirror, we are more likely to evaluate ourselves. Though this self-awareness can sometimes be beneficial, it can also be anxietyinducing and tiring, like on Zoom.

These fatiguing aspects of Zoom disproportionately exhaust women, perhaps because our culture teaches women to be more self-conscious. One study published in April found that women reported Zoom fatigue 14 percent more often than men. The authors suggest some of this may be attributed to the mirror effect, because women are more likely to experience the negative effects of self-awareness when looking into a mirror (or Zoom screen).

Also, women seem to bear a heavier cognitive load during Zoom meetings — yet another likely consequence of how society shapes expectations for women. A cognitive load is the limit to the amount of information our working memory can take in. For example, women often smile more than men, even offline, and some research suggests this discrepancy is because of heightened self-consciousness. Videoconferencing reduces nonverbal cues, which may increase the cognitive load for women who are compensating for this loss. Furthermore, even though women and men report having the same number of meetings per day, women report spending more time in meetings and taking shorter breaks between meetings — possibly to overcome real and perceived workplace disadvantages less often experienced by men.

All these factors may lead to women feeling disproportionately affected by Zoom fatigue. However, it’s also clear that these discrepancies — a more pronounced mirror effect, increased cognitive load and shorter breaks — exist for women offline too. They have just become more apparent and pernicious online, where these social factors are exacerbated.

Zoom is exhausting — it’s not just you. And of course, it’s not just women. Or just Zoom, as we approach the second anniversary of the first COVID-19 deaths in the United States. But there are actions we can take to help. For example, research suggests improving mental health by shortening or incorporating breaks into meetings: a moment to stretch or a moment to look away from the screen to reduce eye strain and eye contact. Maybe turn off self-view to reduce uncomfortable self-awareness. And, if your workplace or school allows, maybe turn off your camera completely, at least when not speaking.

I know that I am lucky to have the opportunity to safely attend remote classes at a world-renowned institution. But we all need to consider how working through screens impacts our lives. And continue to make allowances for ourselves if our minds wander.