Virtual, but Not (Yet) Natural: The Role of Nonverbal Communication Quality, Cognitive Load, and Fatigue in Virtual Reality Compared to Videoconferencing and Face-to-Face Team Meetings

Virtual reality (VR) has been theorized as a richer and more natural alternative to two-dimensional videoconferencing (VC) that could reduce videoconference fatigue (VCF), yet empirical evidence remains limited and mixed. In a preregistered laboratory experiment, N = 209 participants were assigned to triads and randomly allocated to face-to-face (F2F), VC (Zoom), or VR (Meta Quest 3, Horizon Workrooms) meetings. In a 20-minute meeting, the groups completed the NASA Moon Survival Task. We assessed non-verbal communication quality (NCQ) and cognitive load after the meeting, and five VCF facets (general, motivational, emotional, social, visual) before and after. Multi-group structural equation models (ANCOVA approach, controlling for pre-fatigue, demographics, and media experience) showed that NCQ was lowest in VR, while VC and F2F did not differ. Contrary to predictions, post-scores of general, emotional, social, and visual fatigue were highest in VR compared with VC and F2F. Cognitive load was highest in F2F, lowest in VR, and did not mediate the link between NCQ and any fatigue facet. Nevertheless, found direct negative effects from NCQ on VCF. These findings suggest that current VR meeting systems do not yet alleviate VCF, nor do they provide a richer nonverbal communication platform. The naturalness of non-verbal cues appears more critical for communication quality and fatigue than technological richness.