From checking social media every minute to being lost in computer games, we tend to overuse technology. "For many people, a moment without your phone or laptop in sight can feel like a lifetime," the Daily Mail commented. A team from the US-based company Toll Free Forwarding built a three-dimensional model to sniff out the negative effects technology can have on human bodies in less than 800 years. The computer model called Mindy may persuade many people to think twice.
"Spending hours looking down at your phone strains your neck and throws your spine (脊柱) off balance," explained Caleb Backe, a health and wellness expert in the US. Then, the muscles in our neck need to spend extra effort to support the head, making our back hunched (驼背的) and neck wide.
"The way we hold our phones can cause strain in certain points of contact – causing text claw (手机手)," Nikola Djordjevic, a physician in Serbia, told the team. It affects the elbows too, causing pain in the arm. Scientifically, it is called cubital tunnel syndrome (肘管综合征). That's why Mindy has a 90-degree elbow, and her hands look like she's always holding a mobile phone.
Some people also commented that human evolution may not work this way. They believe that only features with actual benefits would be kept throughout the years. For example, features that can increase the rate of survival, instead of the negative impact of technology.
However, current human lifestyles still raise concerns. A model called Emma was built by researchers in the UK in 2019 to show how the way people work at their desks could change them in 20 years. The research team built Emma based on the health issues mentioned by over 3,000 workers in France, Germany and the UK. Emma's back stays bent, and her legs are swollen (肿胀的) due to the time people spend in front of computers. With little time spent outdoors and in the sun, her skin is pale, too.
