Zoom Fatigue: New Research Study Shows Higher Rates in Women

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.