Seeing yourself on a video call leads to mental fatigue: Research

According to a brain activity study video By viewing your photo during conferencing calls Mental fatigue is born

Experts from the University of Galloway, Ireland, discovered that people who participate in meetings on apps like Zoom or Teams are more tired than when they are watching themselves on a screen.

The study also found that men and women were equally fatigued when viewing their own photos, which is in contrast to previous findings that found self-view video conferencing to be more tiring for women than men. suffer from

The team of researchers conducted an experiment using electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring of 32 volunteers, 16 men and 16 women. All participated in a live Zoom meeting with self-view mode at different times.

EEG records spontaneous electrical activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the head and can detect the onset of mental fatigue, the researchers said.

Monitoring confirmed that participants’ fatigue levels were significantly higher while looking at their picture.

According to previous research, women are more tired than men on Zoom. This research relies mostly on self-reported data collected through surveys and interviews.

Previous theories for this gender difference have focused on women’s awareness of their own appearance increasing when they look at themselves in the mirror.

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However, the University of Galloway study, which measured fatigue at a neurophysiological level, questioned whether differences in videoconferencing fatigue between men and women really exist.

The researchers say the findings help understand not only the dramatically increased use of video conferencing in the workplace as a result of perceived fatigue, but also the protection of employee well-being in the era of hybrid and remote work. also provide practical insights for organizations working towards

Professor Eoin Whelan of the University of Galway says the use of video conferencing platforms has increased during the lockdown.

‘They are still widely used in work and education today, and are anything but in-person meetings. But people often feel tired of video conference meetings.

‘Our study shows that feeling of fatigue you get during a video call is real, and looking at a picture or video of yourself makes it even more tiring. Just turning off the mirror image can help reduce fatigue in virtual meetings.’