Human-Technology Symbiosis at work: a brain morphometric investigation of inter-individual differences in smart-tool proneness
研究了111名右利手参与者，发现智能工具倾向性与大脑颞叶和额叶特定区域的皮层厚度显著相关，支持人机共生理论，对技术设计和用户培训有启示。
This study explored the concept of Human-Technology Symbiosis (HTS). Our aim was to investigate how idiosyncratic differences, in terms of smart tool proneness, translate into the specificity of cerebral structures. A total of 111 right-handed participants completed the Smart Tool Proneness Questionnaire (STP-Q) and alongside undergoing structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. Analyses of these outcomes revealed significant associations between smart-tool proneness and the thickness of specific brain regions, most particularly in the temporal and frontal lobes. These included middle and superior frontal and temporal gyri. These findings thus indicate that brain morphometry is associated with an individual’s relationship to technology, and so supports the HTS model. We propose that the tool-fashioned artificial environment, created by Homo sapiens, acts as a primary evolutionary force now exerted on our species. We consequently propose new phase in human evolution that is characterised by the intimate integration with smart tools.Practitioner Summary This study reveals that individuals’ affinity for smart tools is linked to specific brain structures. These findings support the theory of Human-Technology Symbiosis and highlight how technology use is associated with brain anatomy, with implications for technology design and user training.