Excessive close‑up eye contact and enlarged faces increase stress and social anxiety ^ref1. Shared immersive scenes (beach, firepit, cozy café, co-working loft) as we implemented on Ruume, place every video feed inside a single panoramic space, so the brain perceives one room, not 12 boxes.

people often report feeling together-yet-alone—a psychological silo. in fact, one of the strongest fatigue factor is “feeling socially isolated even while on the call” ^ref2. the gallery view’s fixed gaze and constant self-mirror amplify self-consciousness and cognitive load, worsening that sense of being boxed-in.^ref1
Experimental work on social-VR platforms shows that moving people from flat video grids into a shared virtual environment significantly lowers loneliness and social anxiety scores—a direct antidote to the silo effect^ref3,ref7 Ruume brings the same “co-presence” benefits to everyday browsers, without requiring a headset.

In a flat grid like Zoom, the eye naturally scans for majority cues (raised hands, nods, thumbs-ups). When people become mentally tired, resisting those cues takes effort and pushes users toward easy consensus rather than critical debate^ref3,ref1
By lowering fatigue and changing how social cues are displayed, Ruume keeps each participant cognitively fresh and less susceptible to majority sway. in immersive shared scenes, people appear within a virtual context—such as a coffeeshop. so there is no single “wall of faces” broadcasting a majority opinion.

constant self‑view amplifies self‑criticism and fatigue ^ref1. So on Ruume we implemented Self-view hidden by default. but the conendrum is that at times we do want to take a peek. just hover over your feed and click. simple, no stress. don't want to be seen at all? fun avatars can quickly be selected to replace one's camera feed.

studies indicate that heavy users who meet on regular video conferencing interfaces, namely grids, were more likely to meet PHQ-9 criteria for depressive disorder^ref4,ref2
Ruume swaps the rigid grid for a shared immersive scene and hides self-view, reducing cognitive load and negative self-focus. It also inserts visual micro-breaks for our eyes and brain, and creates the sense of a shared experience breaking silos & isolation.

fixed gazing at screens radically cuts blink rate, drying the ocular surface and sparking digital-eye-strain symptoms.^ref4
Ruume’s dynamic context and panoramic scenes add the stimulation and depth cues that keep our eyes scanning instead of locking on one focal point^ref5.

traditional video conferencing has a "flat" feel that triggers cognitive fatigue. Ruume's immersive scenes (like coffee shops or beach firepits) create a sense of spatial presence. a sensory context, especially when well curated (e.g. with nature scenes), reduces visual strain, mental fatigue, and boredom by simulating real-life environments^ref6.
additionally, grids of faces flood our brains with non-verbal cues and increase the radically load^ref1.
our minds are constantly scanning the environment for cues on our safety, comfort, narrative (why we're here), etc. but a checkerboard of faces each with their different background is hard to decypher. Placing participants in one shared scene, as you can do with Ruume, creates a place and story that is familiar and easy for our minds to interpret.

flat grids force people with ADHD to track dozens of equal-size faces at once—something many report as exhausting in Zoom^ref9. immersion removes the face-overload, in fact meta-analyses find immersive VR improves sustained attention, working memory, and motor control in ADHD^ref8. Ruume mimicks the same 3D illusion but in a browser, avoiding the wearing of headsets and the nausea that can be associated with it.
Ruume lets the host pick nature scenes and easily hide the self-view, all shown to lower cognitive load when attention wavers^ref10.
Plus, Ruume's built-in breathing, meditation, movement exercises (and puppy videos!), enable for the host to incorporate breaks in a 45-miniute meeting flow, aiding in arousal regulation—a technique widely recommended in ADHD coaching.

tip: try our Lofi backgrounds and the Pomodoro timer scenes.