Communication between people is less effective when it91裸聊视频檚 done through technology as opposed to in person 91裸聊视频� and remote video chatting may even require a greater level of concentration, a new study by Montreal researchers suggests.

The study91裸聊视频檚 results, its authors say, could help explain 91裸聊视频淶oom fatigue91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� the discomfort that many felt during the COVID-19 pandemic after spending entire days participating in online meetings.

91裸聊视频淥ur findings clearly demonstrate the price we pay for technology,91裸聊视频� the authors say in the study, called 91裸聊视频淭echnologically-assisted communication attenuates inter-brain synchrony,91裸聊视频� published in the December 2022 issue of the open-access journal NeuroImage.

Guillaume Dumas, a researcher with Universit茅 de Montr茅al and the Sainte-Justine children91裸聊视频檚 hospital, along with colleagues, used an electroencephalogram 91裸聊视频� a test that measures electrical activity in the brain 91裸聊视频� to examine the brains of mothers and their children. Sixty-two mother-child pairs were studied; their brain activity was measured when they were talking in person and through a remote video chat.

The researchers found that participants91裸聊视频� brains 91裸聊视频渟ynchronized91裸聊视频� when they were in each other91裸聊视频檚 presence but did not do so when they were chatting through a screen. Researchers said they were able to observe nine important 91裸聊视频渃ross-brain links91裸聊视频� between participants during in-person conversation, compared to only one link during the virtual chat.

They said they think the links formed during in-person discussion permit people to communicate emotions or offer non-verbal cues.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 the adage about being on the same wavelength,91裸聊视频� Dumas said, adding that it91裸聊视频檚 clear from the study that certain cross-brain links are absent when people talk through video conferencing software.

91裸聊视频淲e pay a bit of a price by using technology to communicate by having lower-quality and less authentic communication, compared to what our brain is used to (and) what it was made for.91裸聊视频�

The human brain is the result of tens of thousands of years of evolution, while technology is rapidly evolving, he said. The brain, he added, is configured to manage interactions and communications with others face to face.

Researchers found that during in-person discussions, the frontal regions of the mother91裸聊视频檚 brain linked to each of the regions measured in the child91裸聊视频檚 brain. The frontal cortex is associated with high social functions, including social cognition and decision-making in a social context.

In-person communication, Dumas said, makes it easier to convey and identify non-verbal cues, to anticipate what the other person might say and to recognize innuendo 91裸聊视频� subtleties that are more difficult to identify when speaking over a screen.

The study, he added, raises concerns about youth 91裸聊视频� who heavily use technology to communicate.

There are neuroscience experiments that show there are critical periods for youth to learn certain social norms that can be harder to pick up later in the developmental process, he said. The use of technology also opens the door to certain habits that were more difficult to do in-person, like cyberbullying.

91裸聊视频淧eople who would not have acted out (in person) have much less difficulty in exhibiting toxic behaviour on the internet,91裸聊视频� Dumas said.

91裸聊视频淶oom fatigue,91裸聊视频� he said, can be caused by delayed social feedback, difficulty sustaining attention, by people not showing their faces, by posture issues, or by responses that are slow in coming due to muted microphones. Reduced brain synchronization, Dumas said, can be added to that list.

91裸聊视频淲e may end up concluding that a 15-minute in-person meeting is more effective than an hour-long online meeting.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频擩ean-Benoit Legault, The Canadian Press