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Imagine that you are walking around your workplace followed incessantly by colleagues holding a mirror, causing you to stare at yourself for much of the day.
The strange scenario is becoming the norm in the age of physically distanced videoconferencing meetings and this “non-verbal overload” is leading to “zoom fatigue,” according to a study by Jeremy Bailenson, professor of communication at the University of Stanford.
The new peer-reviewed research, published in the journal Technology, Mind and Behavior, listed the causes as prolonged video chats due to unprecedented excessive amounts of close eye contact with others and reflections of oneself.
“Decades of research in psychology shows that when you look at yourself we scrutinize ourselves, we evaluate ourselves, and this over time causes stress and negative emotions,” Bailenson told BBC Radio 4’s Today show.
“When we are forced to look at ourselves in a video or mirror in real time, we behave like an idealized version of ourselves, in other words, we try to be the best person we can be. But that comes at a cost. “
When someone else’s face is extremely close to our own physically, our brains believe that mating or conflict is close on the horizon, according to Bailenson. “What actually happens when you use Zoom for many, many hours, is that you are in a state of hyperactivity.
However, there are easy ways to avoid the intensity and minimize the inevitable lethargy, he says. These include reducing the size of the video chat window and not using full screen, and using an external keyboard to create more distance between yourself and the grid of prying faces.
Crucially, Zoom users can also deviate from the default settings and use the hide self-view button, or even periodically turn off the camera entirely if possible, “for a short non-verbal break,” writes Bailenson.
“It’s not just about turning off the camera to take a break from having to be non-verbally active, but also about moving your body away from the screen, so that for a few minutes you are not suffocated with gestures that are perceptually realistic but socially non-verbal. meaning, “he adds.
In person, people can get social leads, hints, and suggestions much easier than through video, but with massive work due to Covid, the frequency of video conferencing meetings increased considerably and Zoom became the most popular software among others because it was free, effective and easy to use.
Although the platform has become increasingly essential as its share value nearly quadrupled, there has been little appreciation of downsides, Bailenson suggests, as companies have tried to keep business running amid major disruption. .
The age of video conferencing, in which many people remain more sedentary than if they were in the office, may also be leading to more permanent consequences.
Virtual consultations for cosmetic procedures have increased 64% in the US since the start of the pandemic, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
“We have absolutely seen an increase in the number of cosmetic surgical procedures that people have been looking for directly related to Zoom,” said Dr. Michael Somenek, who has seen a 50% to 60% increase in his surgery in Washington.
“The number one procedure people have gone to is the upper eyelids or the neck. Because they see [their neck] either hanging from the camera or looking like a double chin. “
