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Attending meetings in pajama bottoms might seem like a job perk, but some remote workers have found that videoconferencing for work isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
In the years since the COVID pandemic triggered a spike in telecommuting, many have complained of so-called “Zoom fatigue.”
Thought to be coined by Stanford University professor Jeremy Bailenson, the term refers to a level of exhaustion that comes with interacting with others on camera all throughout the day.
Dr. Kyle Elliott, a tech career coach in San Francisco, defines Zoom fatigue as “incessant tiredness or lack of energy as a result of spending a large quantity of time on Zoom.”
Additional symptoms can include physical tension (including headaches, eye strain and stiffness), moodiness, a sense of disengagement or difficulty concentrating, according to Dr. Julia Corcoran, a licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified coach, who is currently serving as the director of clinical strategy and experience at Modern Health in San Francisco.
“Zoom fatigue” refers to a level of exhaustion that comes with interacting with others on camera throughout the day. (iStock)
The challenge isn’t exclusive to Zoom; other videoconferencing platforms can have the same effect.
The pandemic’s effect
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom and other videoconferencing platforms “exploded in popularity,” said Dr. Carl Nassar, PhD, a professional counselor based in Denver, Colorado.
“We all found ourselves at home looking at the people we worked with, the people we went out for drinks with and the people in our extended family on a computer screen,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Our work went virtual, our social life went virtual, our doctors’ appointments went virtual, and even our intimate relationships sometimes went virtual,” he said. “And this meant a lot of time looking at each other on-screen instead of in person.”
Long after the pandemic, many of these habits have persisted.
Symptoms of Zoom fatigue can include physical tension (including headaches, eye strain, and stiffness), moodiness, a sense of disengagement or difficulty concentrating, an expert said. (iStock)
“This video-ing of each other, it turns out, is far more tiring to humans than actually being together,” said Nassar.
“One reason is that our brains are wired for actual in-person interactions, not wired for interactions on the screen.”
Impacts of Zoom fatigue
While video calls can be convenient, Elliott warned that staring at a computer or phone screen for extended periods of time can result in negative mental health consequences.
“Zoom fatigue can aggravate stress, anxiety and burnout among workers,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Our brains are wired for actual in-person interactions, not wired for interactions on the screen.”
“Some people share that spending so much time interacting on screens makes it difficult to interact in real life.”
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Corcoran agreed, noting that many report feeling livelier, happier and more active during in-person meetings.
“Because video platforms artificially limit our perspective, we miss the cues we’re used to from live, in-person interactions,” she told Fox News Digital.
Experts recommended taking adequate breaks away from the computer throughout the day. (iStock)
“As social beings, we’re highly attuned to these cues, and it takes more work for us to look for and process them in the virtual environment, leading to the fatigue we experience.”
Even beyond the workplace, Elliott noted that people are using video in more personal contexts than ever before, such as sharing reels on social media and calling loved ones on FaceTime.
“Because video platforms artificially limit our perspective, we miss the cues we’re used to from live, in-person interactions.”
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