Gonzalo herman
05/15/2021 6:00 AM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 05/15/2021 6:00 AM
Video calls make it possible to compensate for the social isolation caused by the coronavirus.
During the most difficult moments of the pandemic, these tools help maintain social relationships and also maintain work meetings despite teleworking.
But the truth is that, although a priori it may seem like an ideal solution,
these digital encounters cause stress
.
This is known as “Zoom fatigue”, a mental exhaustion derived from this new way of communicating that puts your brain on the limit.
A recent study by experts from the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden, and Stanford University, in the United States, revealed that the use of Zoom not only causes fatigue, but also
affects more women than men
.
The research marks the
mechanisms that cause it
: mirror of anxiety;
being physically trapped;
the hyper-gaze from a grid of fixed faces;
and the cognitive burden of producing and interpreting non-verbal cues.
Evaluation of about 10,591 participants showed that daily use predicts the amount of fatigue.
Why do women report it more?
Because they have
more meetings and shorter breaks
between these meetings than men.
Specific dynamics
Over the past year, billions of conversations that would otherwise have taken place face-to-face have gone virtual. Since video conferencing is likely to remain an important part of the future of work and study, and a way to stay connected with friends and family, it is important to understand the factors that can lead to Zoom fatigue.
It is also important to examine is affecting different parts of the population more than others. For example, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic
affected women more severely than men
, leading to intensification of gender inequalities in employment, productivity, caring for children and mental health. The researchers also found that the women struggled more with anxiety about body image and regulating diet and exercise.
This massive transition from physical to digital interactions raised concerns about the psychological effects of this
feeling of exhaustion associated with the use of video conferencing
.
"Zoom fatigue may be due to the complexity of the specific spatial dynamics that take place in videoconferences or due to additional cognitive effort to interact with others in this context," says Lucía Crivelli, from the Cognitive Neurology Service of Fleni.
The effect is more exhausting for women.
Of the 10,322 people surveyed for the study, about 1 in 7 women (13.8 percent) reported feeling "very" or "extremely" fatigued after Zoom calls, compared to about 1 in 20 men. (5.5 percent).
According to Crivelli, "many people are suffering from Zoom fatigue, due to the excessive use of digital platforms" and this is produced in part by "the mechanisms related to increased cognitive load and non-verbal behavior in this new environment of communication".
"The availability and proximity of nonverbal cues contributes to interpersonal communication, social judgment, and task performance. While nonverbal communication can be unconscious and spontaneous during in-person interactions, video conferencing requires intentional effort and attention to produce and interpret non-verbal communication.
This affects women more because they are more aware of their own image,
"suggests the expert from Fleni.
Tips for young and old
To avoid these symptoms, the specialist gave a series of tips:
Illuminate the face and put the computer at face level.
Use a simple background.
Use the
mute
if you are not speaking.
Put a ten minute break between meetings and that they do not last more than 45 minutes.
For boys, do their schooling in a single place in the house.
Also in the boys it is suggested to use the gallery mode and see all the classmates at the same time and not see themselves.
Complement virtual meetings with face-to-face meetings
Parents can put something to scribble on them so they don't get distracted.
ACE
Look also
Overflow and stress: the mental and physical health of mothers in a pandemic
The discomfort that the pandemic brought us has a remedy
