We all know about Zoom Fatigue but WHY is it happening? Stanford University thinks they finally know why our brains are so overworked while staring at the screen. We knew there was more concentration than we were used to for such a long amount of time but there could be more to that. In an article on the The New York Post it explains we ARE used to having that much eye contact and close contact with people we are in close relationships with. In non-covid times you weren’t doing long term face time with Gene from Accounting so doing it for an hour on a screen now makes your brain go nuts. It doesn’t know how to deal with the closeness with people we aren’t meant to have that closeness with and the fatigue comes on quickly. Not to mention in real life meetings we can look around the room, look down, listen and not stare but in a Zoom environment there’s pressure to look like you’re paying absolute attention. OH! And add on the fact that you can see yourself in that little box in the corner. At work we weren’t staring at ourselves in mirrors all day long but now we are and it’s causing depression and self esteem issues with people constantly internally critiquing their flaws. So if after a Zoom call you feel like you need a nap and to check out it’s completely normal and totally understandable.
