Given the growth in popularity of primarily virtual mediums of communication, particularly in the world of work, a new study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology has confirmed the shocking reality of the post videoconference, psychological phenomenon ‘Zoom Fatigue’.

According to study author Andrew Bennett, given the prominence of videoconferencing which came into being in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, “we conducted this study because we felt this fatigue that was happening by being on videoconference”.

Bennett, who works as an assistant professor at the Old Dominion University, explained that, “Our research team was on a videoconference in March 2020, right after we all started working from home and transitioned to teaching and learning online — and at the end, we just were like ‘this is real — and whoa, it’s a lot!’”.

Having experienced the feelings of fatigue after a video meeting, Bennett stated that the aim of the research was “to investigate…what might cause videoconference fatigue and what people can do to feel less fatigued after videoconferences”.

Findings of the study confirmed that over 92 per cent of participants reported feeling fatigued and tired after a videoconference and this was particularly true on days when the participants experienced multiple videoconference meetings.

As it relates to the cause of the fatigue most participants attributed the extra effort needed to make personal connections during videoconference as well as the necessity to sustain their attention during the meeting as root factors.

How to fight ‘Zoom Fatigue’

Based on the studies findings three practical steps an individual can take to reduce the likelihood of videoconference fatigue include:

1. Selecting the right meeting time – results show that most individuals prefer to have a meeting in the morning or around midday than doing so in the afternoon.

2. Mute your microphone when not in use – as simple as it may seem, muting your mic can help to eliminate added distractions for other meeting participants.

3. Maintain group comradery – when individuals have a high sense of belongingness with others at the meeting, they are much less fatigued when the meeting ends.