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Charles Darwin's groundbreaking theory of natural selection explains how species evolve by better adapting to their environments. Organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and pass these traits on to future generations, ensuring the continuation of the cycle.
Yet, modern technology is now interrupting the natural selection process, particularly in humans. From the convenience of smartphones to the incredible progress in medical treatments, technology is changing our lives at a pace that outstrips natural selection's ability to keep up.
Individuals with genetic or health disadvantages are surviving and transmitting these traits to their children. Meanwhile, others are encountering new health problems linked to an excessive dependence on technology.
10. Cesarean Deliveries Are Narrowing Women's Pelvises
Cesarean sections are contributing to a reduction in the size of women's pelvises. In the past, women with smaller pelvises often perished during childbirth, along with their children, who could inherit these traits.
Today, however, many women with smaller pelvises survive, thanks to the widespread use of C-sections. These women are also having children, including daughters with narrow pelvises, who pass on this genetic trait. Research shows that 36 out of every 1,000 children born now have a narrow pelvis, compared to 30 out of 1,000 in the 1960s.
At this point, one might wonder why natural selection hasn't favored women with larger pelvises. The answer lies in human evolution, which favored smaller babies that could fit through narrower pelvises, rather than larger babies that needed wider passages.
Interestingly, C-sections are gradually altering this dynamic. Babies are growing larger, even though their mothers' pelvises remain small. As a result, C-sections are likely to become even more common in the future.
9. Mobile Phones Are Leading to the Growth of Horns on Our Skulls
We often tilt our heads downward while using smartphones, which has led to the formation of bony, horn-like structures at the lower part of the skull. Scientists refer to these growths as 'external occipital protuberances.'
These horns are emerging due to the significant pressure applied where the neck muscles meet the skull as a result of the head being bent. The skull adapts by elongating the bone at its back, creating the protrusion. People with an external occipital protuberance can often feel it by touch, and it may be visible on individuals with bald heads.
An external occipital protuberance can develop regardless of what we're holding or looking at. The only requirement is frequent head bending, which smartphones encourage more than books do—though not everyone reads books as often.
8. Search Engines Are Contributing to Our Forgetfulness
Imagine being asked a random question, like when Martin Van Buren became president of the United States. How would you respond? Would you recall the answer instantly, or would you turn to your search engine? Most people will use a search engine since they likely don’t remember the exact date. Some may not even realize he was once president of the United States.
This phenomenon is referred to as the 'Google effect,' where individuals tend to forget information that they can quickly search for online. This was uncovered in a 2011 study by Betsy Sparrow, Jenny Liu, and Daniel Wegner.
The researchers discovered that people often think of searching the Internet whenever they face questions they can't answer. They were also more likely to forget information they knew they could find elsewhere—even if it wasn’t on the Internet. For example, your spouse’s phone number saved on your phone.
The Google effect occurs because we tend to remember important information while discarding irrelevant facts. However, even crucial details can be forgotten if we know we can retrieve them. And as for our original question, no need to Google it—Martin Van Buren became president in 1837.
7. Farming Led to Smaller Jaws
Early hunter-gatherers had broad faces with prominent jaws and large teeth. However, these traits began to fade when we transitioned from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to farming about 12,000 years ago. Today, we are left with smaller jaws that often lack enough space for our teeth.
Hunter-gatherers needed large jaws due to their diet of raw meat and tough plants, which required a great deal of chewing power. This constant chewing built stronger jaws. However, as we shifted to farming softer crops, which didn't demand the same jaw strength, our jaws became weaker. The trend continued as we began cooking our food.
The impact of this agricultural shift didn't stop at the jaw. It also led to lighter, less dense bones, particularly around the joints. However, this wasn’t due to softer food but the less physically demanding lifestyle of farmers, who didn’t need to hunt and kill prey like the hunter-gatherers.
6. Processed Foods Are Altering the Faces of Children
The type of food children consume plays a major role in shaping their faces—specifically their skulls and jaws. Unfortunately, many children today are developing irregular facial structures due to the large amounts of processed foods they begin eating shortly after birth.
Natural foods provide the essential nutrients for healthy facial development. Moreover, as previously noted, natural foods encourage children to chew, which strengthens their jaws and skulls. Processed foods, on the other hand, limit chewing and weaken the jaw structure.
Our growing reliance on processed foods has led to skulls that are 5–10 percent smaller than those of early humans from the Paleolithic era. This issue is not limited to humans; young animals fed processed foods also experience jaw problems similar to those found in humans.
5. Social Media Is Wreaking Havoc on Our Lives
Social media has been associated with a range of issues such as depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, low self-esteem, and difficulty focusing. These problems are especially prevalent among teenagers, who make up the majority of social media users. Many of them experience the fear of missing out (FOMO), which drives them to check their social media accounts more than is healthy.
However, the relationship between social media use and these mental health issues remains unclear due to insufficient research to definitively establish these links. Some critics argue that social media merely appears to contribute to depression and loneliness because individuals who already exhibit these traits are simply turning to social media to connect with others.
Despite the critics, a study has already shown that social media can indeed cause depression and loneliness. The study involved 143 students from the University of Pennsylvania, who were divided into two groups. One group cut back on their social media time, while the other group continued their usual usage.
The study found that participants who reduced their social media time experienced better mental health, including lower levels of depression and loneliness, compared to those who spent more time on social media.
Interestingly, FOMO and anxiety levels decreased in both groups, even though researchers had expected these issues to be more pronounced in those who used social media more frequently. Researchers speculate this occurred because both groups became more conscious of their social media usage during the study period.
4. Smartphones Are Shrinking Our Attention Span
Our brains possess a highly developed understanding of time. They can predict future events as we go about our daily tasks. For example, the brain knows exactly when to extend your hand for a handshake, so it aligns with the other person’s hand at just the right moment.
This sense of timing is also engaged when we interact with our smartphones. If you check your phone every five minutes, your brain quickly learns to expect this behavior and prompts you to check it at those intervals.
Over time, this habit starts to interfere with your ability to focus, as your attention shifts toward checking your phone for the latest updates. Studies show that smartphone addicts rely less on the brain's focus-regulating regions and need to exert more effort to stay on task.
3. Smartphones Are Contributing to Insomnia
Smartphones have earned a reputation for disrupting sleep, and rightly so. Bringing your smartphone to bed is one of the quickest ways to invite insomnia.
The reason smartphones cause insomnia is due to their distracting nature. The sounds and vibrations from calls, notifications, and messages can prevent people from falling asleep or even disturb their rest. Those who bring their phones to bed may find themselves scrolling through social media and more, delaying their sleep far beyond what they intended.
As if that weren’t enough, smartphones and most other tech devices with screens emit blue light, which the brain interprets as daylight. This causes the brain to reduce melatonin production—the hormone that signals to our body that it’s time to sleep. While this isn't a problem during the day, it becomes a significant issue when we’re trying to sleep at night.
2. Technology Is Causing Nearsightedness In Children
Myopia (nearsightedness) has become a growing health concern due to the increasing presence of technology in our daily lives. The situation is dire in tech-heavy nations like China, where 90 percent of teenagers are affected by myopia. Sixty years ago, only about 10–20 percent of Chinese teenagers experienced nearsightedness.
The rise in myopia is also being observed in Europe, the United States, and South Korea. In Seoul, more than 96 percent of 19-year-old males are impacted. Estimates predict that by 2020, 2.5 billion people (one-third of the global population) will be affected by myopia.
Teenagers are developing myopia due to spending excessive time indoors, away from natural sunlight, which is crucial for proper eye development. In contrast, Australian teenagers, who spend a lot of time outdoors, have lower myopia rates. Researchers believe this trend could be reversed if children were exposed to three hours of sunlight each day.
1. The Internet Is Making Us Unable To Cope Offline
In 2011, Professor David Levy from the University of Washington’s Information School introduced the term “popcorn brain” to describe the cognitive effects of technology. This phenomenon refers to individuals who are so absorbed in their online lives that they lose interest in and struggle to cope with life offline.
Levy introduced this idea after exploring how the Internet impacts our offline lives. In his study, he found that we are always eager to check each new email, message, and visit websites, anticipating the discovery of new information. Our brains quickly adapt to this cycle and often prompt us to search for fresh content every time.
As a result, we end up with shorter attention spans, higher expectations of finding new information, and an inability to function properly offline. Interestingly, Levy’s research aligns with earlier studies showing that students who spend 10 hours a day on the Internet demonstrate lower cognitive abilities compared to those who spend only two hours online.
