How To Have Better Virtual Meetings – What the Research Says

We’ve now had a good five years of regular remote working. What began as a reactive shift to the Covid crisis in 2020 has become standard practice for millions. Teams and Zoom are so deeply embedded in our working lives that, for many, a full day of virtual meetings is entirely normal.

But even though we’ve had five years for this screen time to bed in, there’s something about a virtual call that still feels really exhausting in comparison to doing it face to face.

That sense of weariness after a video call – now widely called “Zoom fatigue” (even though many businesses actually use Microsoft Teams) – is not just in your head.

In fact, over the last five years, researchers have been studying it closely and solid evidence is growing:  virtual meetings drain your energy much more than in-person ones.

In this blog we’ll take a closer look at the science behind why Zoom fatigue happens and practical tips to avoid it.

Why Are Virtual Meetings So Exhausting?

Here’s what the science says:

1. You’re looking at yourself too much

A study from the University of Galway in 2024 confirmed what many of us feel: seeing yourself on screen increases mental strain. Using brain scans, the researchers found that constantly watching your own face activates areas in the brain linked to self-awareness and emotional processing. This extra mental effort contributes to meetings which feel exhausting. When participants turned off the self-view feature, they reported feeling less tired and brain activity showed they were less mentally strained.

In simple terms: seeing yourself all the time on screen is like having a little mental mirror that never switches off – and that can tire you out faster than just watching others.

2. There’s too much going on visually

Another 2024 study from Singapore found that complex or moving virtual backgrounds lead to higher cognitive load. In other words, ‘busy’ backgrounds make us feel more tired more quickly, as they take much more brain power to understand. By contrast, researchers found that simple backgrounds with calm colours or elements of nature actually helped people stay more focused and less tired.

3. Meetings are too long, too frequent and have too many participants

A 2023 review in Computers in Human Behavior analysed multiple recent studies to identify what makes virtual meetings so tiring. It found that long meetings with large groups significantly increased fatigue, even more so when meetings were scheduled back-to-back with few breaks in between. The review concluded that meetings shorter than 30 minutes with fewer participants were much more successful at keeping people more engaged and were much less exhausting.

4. Self-image pressures play a big role

A 2025 study from Michigan State University surveyed over 2,400 workers and found that people unhappy with how they look on camera were more likely to feel “Zoom fatigue.” Using filters or touch-up tools added to participants’ mental load, making virtual meetings more exhausting. This was especially prevalent in younger professionals and women.

But It’s Not Just the Tech – It’s also the Facilitation

It’s clear that the visual elements of virtual meetings matter. How long we look at ourselves for, how busy our backgrounds are and the amount of time required to stare at a screen all add to the mental load.

However, the way in which we facilitate virtual meetings also has a major impact on how draining (or energising) they can feel.

Here’s what the latest evidence tells us:

1. Meetings with structure are less tiring

Having a clear agenda, defined roles and a strict time cap helps reduce mental effort. Research from MIT and Atlassian shows that when meetings have structure that is easy to follow, participants are more focused and less likely to multitask in the background.

2. Interaction matters

A 2025 study in Nature found that long video calls can be exhausting due to constant screen time, lack of interaction and pressure to stay “on” all the time. Making meetings more interactive through polls, group chats or short discussions helps to keep things fresh, as well as giving regular breaks and ‘off camera’ breaks too. Tools such as Mentimeter can make meetings feel much more fun and can also allow people to share their ideas more anonymously, which can also promote psychologically safe meetings.

3. Back-to-back meetings lead to burnout

Research shows that simply having fewer or shorter video meetings can make a big difference in reducing fatigue. A 2021 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that longer and more frequent video calls caused fatigue to build up over the day, which hurt engagement and performance. Cutting back on meeting time helped people stay more focused and energized.

Practical Ways to Run Better Virtual Meetings

Whether you’re leading a team or simply taking part, here are the most effective, research-backed ways to improve your video meetings:

Tip for Better Virtual Meetings	Why it works
Turn off self-view	Reduces self-monitoring and emotional fatigue
Use a static background	Minimises visual distraction and cognitive load
Keep meetings under 30 minutes	Helps prevent focus drift and screen fatigue
Limit group size where possible	Smaller meetings lead to better engagement and clarity
Add breaks between meetings	Allows mental recovery and reduces accumulated strain
Use polls, Q&A or shared documents	Encourages participation and keeps energy up
Offer camera-optional participation where appropriate	Reduces appearance anxiety and helps people focus
End with clear actions	Avoids confusion and meeting sprawl

Does Your Virtual Set-Up Need A Spring Clean?

We’ve written many times before about how important your virtual set up is in helping you to have gravitas on your calls, as well as making your presentations easier to follow. We also know from our own experience how easy it is to slip into bad habits and let some of these tips slide (editor’s note: Jen needs a new microphone!).

So here is a mini-checklist to help ensure your virtual set up is as professional as it can be:

1. Height – is the angle of your screen affecting how others view you? Raising your camera can often help you achieve more gravitas (but not too high!).
2. Light – if there’s a light source behind you, it may put your face into darkness, which is difficult for people to see, increasing cognitive load. Have a light source shining directly onto your face so that your facial expressions are clearly visible.
3. Sound – consider using an external microphone for better quality sound that’s easier to listen to for a long time.

Master Your Virtual Calls with Our Help

After five years (or more) of remote work, we all know the toll virtual meetings can take – but they really don’t have to be exhausting. By making the right choices in our virtual set up and meeting facilitation, we can change our online sessions from ones which drain energy to ones which build connection.

At Body Talk, we are experts at helping people communicate confidently whether they’re in the room or on a screen. The research shows it: small tweaks in how we plan, lead and behave on video calls can transform how people feel and perform.

If your team’s looking to reduce meeting fatigue and communicate more effectively online, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us today.