This Science-Backed Zoom Trick Could Make Meetings Way Less Tiring

Since 2020, we’ve all become intimately acquainted with Zoom. In that time we’ve come to learn that even without commuting or even putting on real pants, spending hours on Zoom calls can feel just as exhausting as working in person. The term Zoom fatigue, also known as videoconference fatigue, has cropped up as researchers have strived to understand just what makes teleconferencing so tiring. One new study puts a spotlight on an unexpectedly tiring feature that has been in the background all along.

This study questions how what we choose to show in the background of our video impacts us and those we video chat with. The paper in the journal Frontiers in Psychology delves in how, whether you use your true background, blur it, or go with a static image, your choice will have an effect on your brain. This is especially true if we continue to use videoconferencing not only as a regular tool but as a substitute for in-person interaction.

The authors in Singapore surveyed 610 videoconference users between ages 22 and 76 on the types of virtual backgrounds they used, and measured Zoom fatigue using a five-point scale indicating levels of general, visual, social, motivational, and emotional fatigue. Critically, they found that people who employed moving video backgrounds experienced the highest levels of videoconference fatigue. Those who experienced the lowest levels? Users with static or even humorous backgrounds. The authors stipulate, however, that if you opt to use a funny background, you may not be dealing with all the stress of a professional environment.

But the crucial detail they point out is that some backgrounds, virtual or real, introduce unnecessary new information, like a person walking through. Even these seemingly irrelevant moments can put strain on our psyche.

“Our brains automatically react to new information in the environment,” said co-author Heng Zhang, a researcher at the Nanyang Technological University Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. “This consumes cognitive resources, which then increases cognitive load and consequently leads to [videoconference fatigue].”

Ultimately, the authors conclude from their research that users should stick with blurred or still-image backgrounds to minimize the amount of information presented onscreen. Bonus points if you choose a natural environment image, like the forest. Because who ever got stressed out over majestic images of trees?