On the other hand, evaluating original ideas during a video meeting would be more effective. (Photo: 123RF)
Video dating disrupts brainstorming because we’re so mesmerized by that face in the little box it stops our eyes and mind from wandering, says a new study.
Such staring is bad for creativity. And while it’s rude to stare at someone in real life, it’s expected behavior on a video call, researchers say.
On the other hand, the evaluation of original ideas in a meeting via video, at least if only two people participate, would be more effective than in a face-to-face meeting, we read in the renowned scientific journal Nature.
Researchers observed 745 pairs of engineers in five different countries who were asked to come up with original uses for a Frisbee or bubble wrap. Those who were in the same room generated another idea on average, about 17% more than those who met via video.
External experts also considered personally generated ideas to be more creative, according to the study.
Study author Melanie Brucks, a professor of applied psychology at Columbia University, said she expected the result, but for a different reason.
She first believed social and physical distancing was to blame? Maybe the two didn’t communicate well, or people weren’t sure who was speaking when. However, several different tests of social connectivity found that distant couples communicated similarly to in-person couples.
The key to the riddle lay in the eyes. When Melanie Brucks started tracking eye movements, she found that people in the same room were more likely to look away, looking around, which was not the case with distant couples.
“They have been too specific in focus on the task at hand and that has narrowed their thinking,” Melanie Brucks said during a Zoom meeting.
That makes sense since the face draws and holds our attention, said Adam Green, a psychology professor at Georgetown University who wasn’t involved with the study.
“Faces are very important to our brains and we spend a lot of our attention looking at faces,” said Adam Green, president of the Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity. When we’re with someone in person, we think it’s rude to stare straight in their face for a long time.”
Teleworking works differently, said Melanie Brucks.
“It’s not that Zoom is bad or that everything is harder. It seems like it (the problem) is just about the creative process,” she said.
The experiment started before the pandemic and was conducted using WebEx at a company with offices in Portugal, Israel, Finland, Hungary and India. The results were similar everywhere.
“Now when I’m brainstorming on Zoom, I turn my camera off,” says Melanie Brucks, who recalls that it’s no different than a conversation on the phone, other than building a personal relationship since the camera is on to begin with Meeting.