Study: Nature virtual backgrounds on Zoom may reduce videoconference fatigue

Feeling wiped out after a long video call? A study released on Thursday suggests that what sits behind you on screen may be part of the reason - and that switching to a nature scene could help.

For work meetings, remote lessons at school, or simply keeping in touch with friends and family, video calls have become routine for many people, especially since the COVID pandemic.

As more hours are spent talking through a webcam, researchers have started to focus on a newer issue known as "videoconference fatigue", a term used for physical, emotional or cognitive exhaustion.

A number of contributors to videoconference fatigue are already well documented, including increased anxiety from seeing your own image, trying to do two things at once, or straightforward technical and connection troubles.

Why virtual backgrounds may matter

Two researchers in Singapore set out to examine another potential driver: the virtual background people use to hide what is actually behind them.

The team said this could be significant because earlier research "suggests that during videoconferencing, users spend the vast majority of their time focusing on themselves", Heng Zhang of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University told AFP.

Instead of paying full attention to the people on the call, users may spend a large portion of the conversation monitoring how they themselves look on screen.

As Zhang - a co-author of the new research in Frontiers in Psychology - put it, when people 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 Zoom survey was carried out

In spring 2023, the researchers ran an online survey involving 610 Zoom users in Singapore. Zoom is among the most widely used videoconferencing apps globally.

Like similar platforms, Zoom lets users blur what is behind them - for example, a cluttered bedroom - or swap it for a different image, such as an office, city skyline, forest, or anything else they prefer.

Users can also opt for animated video backgrounds, such as a beach scene with waves breaking on the shore or palm trees moving in the breeze.

Participants, aged 22 to 76, worked from home three days a week and were asked to log the backgrounds they used.

They then responded to a set of questions on how they experienced general, visual, social, motivational and emotional fatigue.

Forest, mountains or beach

Perhaps predictably, the strongest fatigue levels were linked to backgrounds using moving video.

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

Higher tiredness was also reported by users who relied on a blurred background.

The researchers suggested that blurred backgrounds "can lead to negative emotions", citing earlier studies that reported a comparable effect with grey backgrounds.

Office-themed or public-space scenes were another popular choice, likely selected to signal professionalism.

However, the study said this "self-presentation effort" can become more intense in video calls, which in turn is associated with greater fatigue.

By contrast, backgrounds showing nature - as well as playful or quirky options - corresponded with the lowest levels of videoconference fatigue.

For work-related calls, the researchers advised using images of 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