Nonverbal Mechanisms Predict Zoom Fatigue and Explain Why Women Experience Higher Levels than Men

18 Pages Posted: 14 Apr 2021

See all articles by Geraldine Fauville

Geraldine Fauville

University of Gothenburg

Mufan Luo

Stanford University

Anna Carolina Muller Queiroz

Stanford University - Department of Communication; Lemann Center at Stanford University

Jeremy N. Bailenson

Stanford University - Department of Communication

Jeff Hancock

Stanford University

Date Written: April 5, 2021

Abstract

There is little data on Zoom Fatigue, the exhaustion that follows video conference meetings. This paper administers the Zoom Exhaustion & Fatigue scale to 10,591 participants from a convenience sample and tests the associations between five theoretical nonverbal mechanisms and Zoom Fatigue – mirror anxiety, being physically trapped, hyper gaze from a grid of staring faces, and the cognitive load from producing and interpreting nonverbal cues. First, we show that daily usage predicts the amount of fatigue, and that women have longer meetings and shorter breaks between meetings than men. Second, we show that women have greater Zoom fatigue than men. Third, we show that the five nonverbal mechanisms for fatigue predict Zoom fatigue. Fourth, we confirm that mirror anxiety mediates the difference in fatigue across gender. Exploratory research shows that race, age, and personality relate to fatigue. We discuss avenues for future research and strategies to decrease Zoom fatigue.

Keywords: Zoom Fatigue, Video Conference, Gender, Nonverbal Communication

JEL Classification: communication

Suggested Citation

Fauville, Geraldine and Luo, Mufan and Queiroz, Anna C. M. and Bailenson, Jeremy N. and Hancock, Jeff, Nonverbal Mechanisms Predict Zoom Fatigue and Explain Why Women Experience Higher Levels than Men (April 5, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3820035 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3820035

Geraldine Fauville (Contact Author)

University of Gothenburg ( email )

Viktoriagatan 30
Göteborg, 405 30
Sweden

Mufan Luo

Stanford University ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States

Anna C. M. Queiroz

Stanford University - Department of Communication ( email )

450 Jane Stanford Way
McClatchy Hall, room 411
Stanford, CA 94305
United States

Lemann Center at Stanford University ( email )

520 Galvez Mall
CERAS Building, Room 107
Stanford, CA 94305
United States

Jeremy N. Bailenson

Stanford University - Department of Communication ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305-2050
United States

Jeff Hancock

Stanford University ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States

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