Recently published research from Stanford University studied the psychological effects of “Zoom fatigue,” related to the increased use of this conferencing platform during the past pandemic year. The results found a higher incidence of zoom fatigue in women. A number of nonverbal factors contribute to this phenomenon, including mirror anxiety (viewing yourself, unnaturally, during video meetings), being physically trapped, “hyper gaze from a grid of staring faces,” and the cognitive weight of “producing and interpreting nonverbal cues.” Daily usage of zoom was shown to predict fatigue – and women reportedly have longer meetings and shorter breaks between meetings. Given that virtual meetings are likely to continue even as the pandemic subsides, the report offers tangible recommendations – for individuals as well as employers — to alleviate the situation. An abstract and link to the full report can be found here. And read about it in The New York Times.
Menu
