Study: Remote meetings aid focus, hurt creativity

Is videoconferencing a good way to hold meetings? Video meetings dampen brainstorming because we are so hyper-focused on the face in that box that we don’t let our eyes and minds wander as much, a new study found. When it comes to evaluating those new ideas, though, that focus, at least in one-on-one chats, seems to make remote meetings slightly better than in-person chats, Wednesday’s study in the journal Nature said. Study author Melanie Brucks, an applied psychology professor at Columbia University’s business school, said it was the outcome she expected — but not the reason she expected. “When we are with someone in person, it is not considered polite to stare directly at their face for an extended period of time.” Remote meetings work otherwise, Brucks said.