Study finds nature virtual backgrounds on Zoom may reduce videoconference fatigue

Feeling wiped out after a lengthy video call? New research published on Thursday indicates that your on-screen background may be part of the problem - and suggests swapping it for an image of nature.

For many people, videoconferencing is now routine, whether it’s for workplace meetings, remote lessons or simply staying in touch with friends and family - a shift that accelerated during the Covid pandemic.

As screen-to-screen conversations have stretched across more of the week, a term has emerged for the resulting strain: "videoconference fatigue", which can show up as physical, emotional or cognitive exhaustion.

What “videoconference fatigue” can stem from

Previous research has already highlighted several contributors to videoconference fatigue, including heightened self-consciousness from seeing your own face, juggling multiple tasks at once, or the frustration of unreliable connections.

Virtual background choices on Zoom and self-focus

Two researchers in Singapore set out to examine a different potential driver: the virtual background people use to hide what’s actually behind them.

The idea matters because earlier work "suggests that during videoconferencing, users spend the vast majority of their time focusing on themselves", researcher Heng Zhang of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University told AFP.

In other words, instead of concentrating on the people they’re speaking with, participants may spend much of a call monitoring their own appearance.

Zhang, a co-author of the new study in Frontiers in Psychology, said that when users pick a background, "they are essentially choosing a 'new suit' for themselves,".

"The virtual background is not merely a decoration – it influences how users perceive themselves and how they are perceived by others."

How the Singapore study tracked Zoom backgrounds

During spring 2023, the researchers ran an online survey involving 610 Zoom users in Singapore. Zoom is among the most widely used videoconferencing platforms worldwide.

As with similar apps, Zoom lets people blur what’s behind them - for instance, a cluttered bedroom - or replace it with a chosen scene such as an office, an urban skyline, a forest, or anything else.

Participants can also opt for animated backgrounds that include movement, such as waves breaking on a beach or palm trees shifting in the breeze.

The survey group, aged 22 to 76 and working from home three days a week, were asked to log the backgrounds they used.

Afterwards, they responded to questions measuring how much fatigue they experienced across general, visual, social, motivational and emotional dimensions.

Forest, mountains or beach

Unsurprisingly, moving video backgrounds corresponded to the highest fatigue levels.

The study explained: "This is because video backgrounds are constantly changing, continuously presenting new information to users, consuming cognitive resources, and increasing cognitive load,".

Blurred backgrounds were also linked to greater tiredness.

The researchers suggested that blurred scenes "can lead to negative emotions", citing earlier studies that reported comparable effects for grey backgrounds.

Another frequent choice involved office settings or public spaces, likely selected to signal professionalism.

However, the paper noted that this kind of "self-presentation effort" may be intensified during videoconferencing, which in turn is associated with higher fatigue.

By contrast, nature scenes - along with more playful or wacky options - were connected to the lowest levels of videoconference fatigue.

For work calls, the researchers advised choosing images featuring mountains, forests or beaches.

"These backgrounds not only help reduce fatigue but also allow users to present themselves in a more professional manner," Zhang said.

"This choice strikes a balance between psychological comfort and maintaining appropriate social etiquette."

© Agence France-Presse