Have you heard of “Zoom Fatigue”?

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent study conducted by Stanford Researchers have found that long hours of video conferencing, be it for school or work, have been linked to detrimental psychological consequences.

According to this study, online video conferencing can be exhausting as excessive amounts of eye contact is highly intensive, which can exacerbate feelings of social anxiety during public speaking. Seeing yourself constantly during video chats can also lead to higher levels of stress and self-criticism.

Ultimately, the overall cognitive load is increased during video conferencing because everyone is required to put in more effort to effectively deliver and receive non-verbal cues, that would otherwise be natural or sub-conscious during in-person conversation.

Do you feel exhausted (or emotionally drained) after long hours of Zoom meetings and tend to avoid social situations after ending the call? Or… do you prefer video conferencing to in-person conversations?

Source: https://news.stanford.edu/2021/02/23/four-causes-zoom-fatigue-solutions/