If you’ve ever felt drained and lethargic during work video calls, a new study will come as music to your ears.
Experts have revealed one simple tip that can help cut ‘videoconferencing fatigue’ – the feeling of exhaustion from spending too long on Zoom.
According to scientists based in Singapore, it’s your choice of Zoom background that influences how tired you get.
Using a blurred background or an animated video background makes you tired because it stimulates the brain too much.
Instead, the experts recommend using a static image – or indeed no virtual background at all, as long as it doesn’t show much movement.
Spending hours on video calls can be exhausting and manifest as physical, emotional, or cognitive tiredness – known as ‘videoconferencing fatigue’ (file photo)
Videoconferencing soared in popularity during the Covid pandemic when employees were forced to work from home – with grid-style displays such as this a common sight. Even four years later many companies are only just getting their employees back into the office, while many more still don’t have any plans to do so
The new study was conducted by researchers at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and published in Frontiers in Psychology.
They say spending hours on video calls can be exhausting and manifest as physical, emotional, or cognitive tiredness – known as ‘videoconferencing fatigue’.
Ultimately video virtual backgrounds – which display short videos that automatically play on a loop – are the worst for causing fatigue, they found.
‘We show that the use of different types and contents of virtual backgrounds can contribute to videoconferencing fatigue,’ said co-author Heng Zhang.
‘Users who utilise video virtual backgrounds experience higher levels of videoconferencing fatigue compared to those who use image or blurred virtual backgrounds.’
Videoconferencing tools like Zoom soared in popularity during the Covid pandemic when employees were forced to work from home.
Even four years, later many companies are only just getting their employees back into the office, while many more still don’t have any plans to do so.
According to the study authors, videoconferencing remains a big part of modern life as people continue to work remotely and attend virtual events.
Zoom soared in popularity during the coronavirus lockdown, as well as other platforms such as WebEx, Microsoft Teams and Skype (file photo)
Zoom went from 659,000 UK users in January 2020 to 13 million in April, 2020 according to Ofcom
For their study, the experts wanted to investigate how exactly different types of virtual backgrounds affect videoconferencing fatigue.
They carried out a survey with 610 participants in which they asked people if they use virtual backgrounds, and, if so, what type – a static image, a blurred image, or a video.
The researchers measured videoconferencing fatigue using a five-point scale that indicated levels of general, visual, social, motivational, and emotional fatigue.
Respondents comprised 284 men and 326 women residing in Singapore, aged between 22 and 76 years old, who worked from home for around three days per week and eight hours per day.
The results showed that participants who use video backgrounds experienced the highest levels of videoconferencing fatigue.
Those who used blurred backgrounds also experienced higher videoconferencing fatigue than those using static images.
Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between using a static image and no virtual background at all.
The researchers say that our brains automatically react to new information that we can see in our environment – including a background on a Zoom call.
Video backgrounds in particular continuously introduce new information, constantly interrupting our attention and putting a demand on ‘cognitive resources’.
‘For users of video backgrounds, the continuous changes in the video introduce new information with every frame,’ Zhang told MailOnline.
Zoom users can add any image to spice up their background either for fun or to obscure the contents of their home from colleagues. The Maldives, pictured, is a popular destination for a Zoom background
A shot of the set from Doctor Who in 1983 from the BBC archive will make an excellent Zoom background option for ‘Whovians’
‘This is constantly interrupting their attention, consuming more cognitive resources, and leading to higher levels of videoconference fatigue.
‘For blurred backgrounds, although they may not introduce entirely new information, technical issues might occasionally cause users to see glimpses of the real environment, which presents new information to them.’
Interestingly, the environment that is depicted in a background can also influence videoconferencing fatigue.
Users with nature-themed backgrounds reported lower levels of fatigue compared with those using office settings or public spaces.
An office background can ‘increase user pressure to self-present as if they actually were in one of those settings’, Zhang said, leading to fatigue.
According to Zhang and his colleague Benjamin Li, the role of other users’ backgrounds on videoconferencing fatigue now needs to be investigated.
‘A more comprehensive understanding of the role of virtual backgrounds in videoconferencing could provide more targeted recommendations for future research and practice,’ Zhang added.
Of course, other factors influence how tired you get from being on Zoom at work, including the specific aspects of your job, such as deadlines, volume of tasks and amount of topics discussed.
A 2021 study called ‘Zoom Fatigue and How to Prevent It’ identified multiple reasons for Zoom fatigue, including reduced mobility, too much eye contact and the ‘mirror effect’ (having to see yourself onscreen).
Another study found who keep their cameras on during video calls feel more tired – with women affected more than men.
Yet another study during the Covid era found that blurry Zoom displays cause people to raise their voices, possibly because they associate a poor visual display with a poor sound.
