A Study Found Turning Your Camera Off Helps with Zoom Fatigue
People who leave their camera off on Zoom are JERKS, right? If I have to show my face, you should too. But a new study found they might actually be onto something . . .
Researchers at the University of Arizona just did a big study on Zoom fatigue, and found that turning your camera off can help you avoid it.
They tracked 100 employees for a month, and looked at how stressed out they were after Zoom meetings.
And the ones who turned their cameras off experienced FAR less Zoom fatigue than the ones who left them on.
They didn’t just set it so they couldn’t see their own video. They completely turned their camera off, so NO ONE could see them.
In other words, just knowing you’re on camera is what makes Zoom calls so exhausting.
They also found that women and new hires experienced the most fatigue, probably because there’s extra pressure on them to look their best.
The team behind the study says bosses should never require employees to keep their camera on, because it leads to more burnout. And they should let people know it’s fine to leave their camera off if they want to.
