Videoconference fatigue is real, and new research points to one quick fix. It found that video backgrounds leave people feeling more fatigued compared to a static image, blurred image, or no virtual background. People with a nature scene in the background reported the lowest levels of fatigue.
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/tired-during-a-zoom-meeting-try-changing-your-virtual-background
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I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1408481/full
From the linked article:
Videoconference fatigue is real, and new research points to one quick fix that might help you get your mojo back. Researchers surveyed more than 600 participants, asking them whether they use virtual backgrounds, what type of background they use, and about their general levels of online meeting fatigue. They found that video backgrounds leave people feeling more fatigued compared to a static image, blurred image, or no virtual background at all. However, people with a nature scene in the background reported the lowest levels of fatigue.
> People with a nature scene in the background reported the lowest levels of fatigue.
Nature red in tooth and claw? Someone being attacked by a tiger?
i mean, who is actually looking at the screen in these scenarios and not browsing reddit whilst nodding occasionally.
Here’s a wild idea, what if we did some sort of video call but without the video? Like a technology that could connected phones for audio only somehow.
Ok so what’s better my actual office as the background or a nature scene?
Wait people use videos as their background? I’ve only ever seen static images or blurred…
Here’s what worked for us: *Turn off self-view*. It takes a surprising amount of unconscious energy to be constantly self-monitoring how you’re being perceived. Removing it changes the vibe to being much more like actually being in a room with people.
One of the biggest problems is audio.
In 2020 I was so annoyed that my instructor’s peak resonance in his room was the same frequency as mine. So his voice was artificially boomy in a higher bass register. And my room made it even worse. It was just BLERBLERBLER so I bought some software so I could just EQ away that frequency. And then I started doing all the other treatment, compression, adding a touch of reverb, some nice saturation…
Next thing I know everyone is clear, clean-ish, and most of all, fairly balanced. Ahhhhhhh.
Or, hear me out, you all just have less meetings. We all know you’re all in far more meetings; remote or otherwise, than are actually necessary to do your job. in fact, I would wager they’re an active distraction in getting your work done.
So I need everyone on the call to do this for me? Hmmm. Already have self-view off.
This sounds more like propaganda from megacorporations because they want remote workers who are not home to out themselves.
Why even share video? My last company had like 6 hours of meetings a day, people rarely ever shared their video… Just an engineering thing I guess?
I never used to stare at myself in video calls, until I read an article talking about how distracting it is. Now I can’t stop doing it. Thanks a lot, random internet article from early covid.
“My camera is broken” meanwhile playing games in the background while I participate in said useless meeting that could have been summed up over email
Oh, I am absolutely putting on the most obnoxious, moving, bright, moving, patchy coloured splotches for my background, then.