If you can’t confer in a natural environment, a virtual one is the next best thing.
Your Back Page scribbler has mixed feelings about Zoom meetings.
On the one hand, the sheer convenience of not having to leave the comfort of the home office is a massive upside for many weary commuters.
The downside, however, is governed by the limitations of the technology and a degree of artificiality to interactions that can sometimes hamper effective communication.
Another big negative is that Zoom meetings are actually more tiring and mentally draining than the old-school physical ones.
Zoom fatigue is a very real thing, as evidenced by research published late last year in the journal Scientific Reports.
But given the Zoom genie has well and truly been released from the bottle, it’s good to know that researchers have been looking at ways to potentially mitigate the drawbacks of videoconferencing.
And, according to boffins at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, one handy tip to stop Zoom zapping your zip is surprisingly simple: try adding a virtual background of a calming nature scene for your next meeting.
Publishing today in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, researchers detail how they surveyed more than 600 people, asking them whether they used virtual backgrounds, what types of background they used, and their overall levels of online meeting fatigue.
What they found was the folks who used a static background scene from nature were less tired after videoconferencing sessions than those who opted for a video background, no background at all or a blurred image.
What’s more, the nature background lovers also stayed more focused for longer during the meetings than their counterparts.
“We show that the use of different types and contents of virtual backgrounds can contribute to videoconference fatigue (VF),” study co-author Heng Zhang said in a media release.
“Users who utilise video virtual backgrounds experience higher levels of VF compared to those who use image or blurred virtual backgrounds.”
“Our brains automatically react to new information in the environment. This consumes cognitive resources, which then increases cognitive load and consequently leads to VF,” he said.
The key, according to the researchers, is how much new information is contained in the background.
“Image backgrounds initially present new information, but users might gradually shift their attention elsewhere. Blurred backgrounds don’t introduce new information, but occasionally users may catch glimpses of the real environment, which presents new information. Video backgrounds, however, continuously introduce new information, constantly interrupting users’ attention and putting a demand on cognitive resources,” they said.
“Users who use nature-themed backgrounds report lower levels of VF compared to others. Other backgrounds, such as office settings or public spaces can increase users’ pressure to self-present as if they actually were in one of those settings, leading to increased fatigue.
“In a work setting, a nature-themed image background might be the ideal choice.”
Message received and understood. Now if we could only figure out how to create a soothing scene from nature and not end up turning ourselves into a potato or a cat.
Send meeting-survival story tips to penny@medicalrepublic.com.au.
