Name: Zoom fatigue is real
Uploaded: 2021-03-22
Duration: 4 min 6 s
Description: Here is how to power through your remote interactions.

Here is how to power through your remote interactions.

Zoom fatigue is real

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I'm sure we've all used our fair share of Zoom and other video conferencing platforms tremendously over the last few months. Whether it's been a zoom, played it for the kids. Zoom huddle with your boss zoom workout classes, a video happy hour, even weddings, graduations or birthday parties. You name it, and I'm sure it's been available through a shareable video link. And if you felt drained, nervous or just bogged down in general from constant virtual interactions. One you're not alone and to zoom fatigue is real. I spoke with Vanessa Van Edwards to find out why this is there's actual science behind it and what we can do to help ourselves. Mm. So what happens on video calls is that it's exercising new interaction muscles. If you want to think about them like muscles in person were very practice of this. We can read facial expressions, make eye contact, make hand gestures, have a greeting, keep our thoughts and your thoughts and minds on video calls all of a sudden what you have to pay attention to changes, right? So I'm trying to look at you in the in the camera, but actually, you're down here so If I want to read your facial expression, I have to be looking here. But if I want to bond, I have to look here. So first my brain is trying to decide bond or read bond or read. That's also trying to listen to your verbal cues. Medicare, your verbal cues stay in frame, not get too close. Not too far. Well, that was too many hand gestures. Can you see me? There's something in my teeth and that adds so much he can stress your brain. It's why we sometimes zone out, because our brain is just like too much talking out one of the reasons why video calls are so exhausting. It's because it's taking away the chemicals that serve us interactions. So oxytocin is often called the capital hormone because it's created when we touch handshake hug, cheek kiss. The problem is on video calls. We're not doing that anymore. There is good news, though. Studies have found that we can produce oxytocin even through a webcam. So I contact when I make eye contact with a little dot that I'm looking at right now, I'm actually sending oxytocin your way. Thank goodness we can even do that through a screen. I do that one by making sure I try to immediately make eye contact with the dot and not my picture. The second thing is I try to almost always give some form of acknowledgement. That could be, Hey, so good to see you giving you a virtual high five virtual hug. I know that sounds crazy, but actually, when we hear that acknowledgement that gives us that nice first of oxytocin. So many video calls. I go on, start like this. Hi, everyone. Today we're going to start the call and I'm going to go over some updates, and then we're going to talk about some logistics and then I'll open up to questions. I sound like I'm bored out of my mind, and that makes you bored out of your mind. And so dopamine when we wake up our words a little bit, this is one of the reasons why I like asking dopamine worthy Parker's at the very beginning of call. So instead of Hey, we're gonna wait for everyone to log on. Wait a few minutes that kills a call. It's basically telling everyone's brain to just go to sleep to just set off. And so what I really want you to do is take those few moments to actually create a little dopamine. Hey, everyone. Good to see you. So as everyone longs on, I want to do a little little question here. How you're all doing. It's a Monday. How was your weekend? Anyone do anything fun this weekend. So when we're thinking about interactions on video, you want to try to mirror the chemistry of in person interactions as much as possible. I'll give you a virtual hug. Thank you so much. Vanessa, Thank you for talking to me about all of this.