We all know these constant video calls are going on something for our brains. How else could we get tired and exhausted hanging out in our own house all day long? Well, now Microsoft has done a little bit of brain research and found that yes, constant video calls increase your stress and brain noise. Tell your boss!
In the study, 14 people participated in eight half-hour video calls spread over four per day – one day with a 10-minute break in between and the other all in one block. The participants wore EEG caps: brain-monitoring equipment that provides a general picture of types of activity in the old gray matter.
What they found isn’t particularly surprising considering we’ve all been there for the past year (or more for already remote workers), but it’s still important to show off during testing. During the meeting block with no breaks, people showed higher levels of beta waves, which are associated with stress, anxiety, and concentration. There were higher peaks and a higher mean stress level, and it increased slowly over time.
By taking 10-minute breaks, the stress measurements were lower on average and were unable to increase. And they increased other measures of positive engagement.
Image Credits: Microsoft / Valerio Pellegrini
It certainly validates, even if it seems obvious. And while EEG measurements are not the most accurate measure of stress, they are quite reliable and better than a retrospective self-evaluation along the lines of “How stressed were you after the second meeting on a scale of 1-5?” And, of course, it wouldn’t be safe to take your laptop to an MRI machine. So while this evidence is helpful, we must be careful not to overdo it or forget that the stress takes place in a complex and sometimes uneven work environment.
For example, a recent study published by Stanford shows that “Zoom Fatigue,” as they call it (a mixed blessing for Zoom), is disproportionately suffered by women. More than twice as many women as men reported severe exhaustion after the conversation – perhaps because women’s meetings tend to be longer and they are less likely to take breaks between them. Add to that the increased focus on the appearance of women and it is clear that this is not a simple situation of “no one likes video calls”.
Microsoft, of course, has technical fixes for the problems in its Teams product, such as adding buffer time to keep meetings from overflowing, or the slightly weird ‘together mode’ that puts everyone’s heads in some sort of lecture. hall (the idea is that it feels more natural).
Stanford has a few recommendations, such as giving yourself permission to record audio for a little while each day, place the camera far away and walk around (make sure you’re dressed), or just turn off the self-view.
Ultimately, however, the solutions cannot be entirely individual – they have to be structural, and while we may be leaving the year of virtual meetings behind, there is no doubt that more will follow in the future. So employers and organizers need to be aware of these risks and establish policies that mitigate those risks – not just increase employee responsibilities. If anyone asks, tell them science said so.