A Study on Video Conference Fatigue: Moderating Effect of Mindfulness and Mediating Effect of Appearance Dissatisfaction

With the increasing popularity of remote video online meetings, video conference fatigue has become a new issue of concern. This study aimed to explore the moderating effect of mindfulness intervention on the relationship between camera use and video conference fatigue mediated by appearance dissatisfaction through two experiments. Experiment I recruited 112 undergraduate students using a 2 (camera use: on vs. off) × 2 (mindfulness intervention: mindfulness vs. mind‐wandering) between‐subjects design. Results showed that turning on the camera significantly increased video conference fatigue, whereas mindfulness meditation significantly reduced it; furthermore, the interaction between mindfulness intervention and camera use on appearance dissatisfaction was significant, and appearance dissatisfaction was positively correlated with video conference fatigue. Experiment II recruited 100 undergraduate students using a 2 (appearance dissatisfaction: appearance satisfaction vs. appearance dissatisfaction) × 2 (mindfulness intervention: mindfulness vs. mind‐wandering) between‐subjects design. We found a significant interaction between appearance dissatisfaction and mindfulness intervention on video conference fatigue. In conclusion, camera use directly influenced video conference fatigue, whereas the moderating effect of mindfulness intervention was mediated by appearance dissatisfaction.