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  • RESEARCH BRIEFINGS

The hidden cost of video-call glitches

Video-call glitches might seem harmless, but they can reduce people’s chances of getting hired, closing a business deal or following a doctor’s recommendation. Human brains expect video calls to feel like in-person conversations. When glitches break that illusion, it feels unsettling and strange, harming judgements of trustworthiness, likeability and credibility.

This is a summary of: Brucks, M. S. et al. Video-call glitches trigger uncanniness and harm consequential life outcomes. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09823-0 (2025).

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03820-z

‘Expert opinion’ is published under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

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