Women report greater fatigue than men still they are more expressive, attentive & less tired, says study
By Shweta Kumari | First Published Dec 16, 2024, 7:30 AM ISTObservers evaluating short video clips of men and women in social interactions consistently underestimated women’s fatigue levels while overestimating men’s.
In a groundbreaking study published in Sex Roles, researchers have identified a striking gender bias in how fatigue is perceived in others. Observers evaluating short video clips of men and women in social interactions consistently underestimated women’s fatigue levels while overestimating men’s. This misjudgment, which contrasts sharply with the individuals’ self-reported fatigue levels, underscores the influence of societal stereotypes on perceptions of health and well-being.
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Chronic fatigue significantly reduces productivity, both at home and in the workplace. Understanding how fatigue is perceived in others is essential for fostering empathy, enhancing healthcare outcomes, and developing interventions for those grappling with persistent exhaustion.
“I first became interested in this research as a graduate student after seeing a grant call from the Maine Space Grant Consortium for aerospace-related studies,” said study author Morgan D. Stosic, a research psychologist at KBR working in NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory. “While reviewing the literature on human performance in space, I was surprised to learn that fatigue accounts for half of all accidents and errors in space missions and aviation. Coming from a background in nonverbal behavior research, I started wondering if we could identify behavioral markers of fatigue, such as slumped posture, greater fidgeting, or reduced facial expressivity.”
To examine the perception of fatigue, the researchers conducted two comprehensive studies. In the first study, participants engaged in five-minute video conversations about shared interests. Afterward, they self-reported their fatigue levels. Observers, who had no context about the participants, watched 10-second silent video clips and rated the targets’ fatigue based on nonverbal behaviors such as posture and facial expressions.
Women’s fatigue was undervalued, while men’s was exaggerated. Interestingly, women’s higher expressiveness and attentiveness in social settings seemed to skew observers’ perceptions, making them appear less fatigued, regardless of their actual self-reported exhaustion.
The second study addressed limitations by using a unified five-point scale for both self-reports and observer ratings. This confirmed the initial findings—women’s fatigue continued to be underestimated, while men’s fatigue was overestimated.
“Our research found that after watching video clips of men and women interacting socially, observers tended to underestimate women’s fatigue and overestimate men’s fatigue compared to what the individuals themselves reported,” Stosic told PsyPost.
“This disparity in judgments of fatigue aligns with other studies showing how women’s health symptoms are often minimized or not believed. This could have real-world consequences in healthcare provision, like leading to mistakes in diagnosing health issues, delays in proper treatment, and even making women less likely to report fatigue for fear of not being believed.”
Dismissing women’s fatigue could lead to delayed diagnoses and inadequate treatment, while overestimating men’s exhaustion might result in unnecessary tests or interventions.
Stosic noted that societal norms play a significant role, as women are often socially conditioned to display positive emotions, masking signs of fatigue. While nonverbal behaviors like fidgeting or slumped posture didn’t correlate directly with fatigue levels, observers’ judgments were heavily influenced by expressiveness and attentiveness.
“In this study, we measured individuals’ fatigue by asking how fatigued they felt on average over the past few weeks,” explained Stosic. “This approach allowed us to capture a more chronic or ongoing level of fatigue, which is likely closer to what someone would report to their healthcare provider, rather than focusing on their current fatigue, which might be more directly linked to operational errors on the job.”
“As space missions venture farther from Earth and communication delays with mission control increase, relying on one’s crewmates to accurately perceive when someone is experiencing higher levels of fatigue will become critical,” Stosic emphasized.
This pioneering research is titled “Gender Bias in the Perception of Others’ Fatigue: Women Report More Fatigue Than Men But Have Their Fatigue Underestimated by Others."
Also read: Do men find female genitalia attractive? Here’s what the research says
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