Technophobia ’sprouts up while we are still in the womb’

LONDON - Scientists have revealed that the fear of technology or technophobia could be determined before a person is even born, when they are still in the womb.

University of Bath researchers said that the hormones we are exposed to in the womb can determine our attitude towards technology.

They claim pre-natal testosterone exposure has an effect on the way the brain develops that makes it either easier or more difficult to understand technology.

“‘Lower levels of pre-natal testosterone exposure were related to anxieties concerning the use of new technologies, such as computers,” The Daily Mail quoted Dr Mark Brosnan as saying.

Researchers found that levels of pre-natal testosterone exposure were higher in computer science students.

Levels of exposure were measured by comparing the length of the students’ ring finger to the index finger, with the greater difference in length indicating higher exposure to pre-natal testosterone.

They also found that a relatively shorter ring finger relative to the index finger was connected to greater feelings of anxiety about using technology. The research suggests that lower exposure to pre-natal testosterone relates to general anxiety sensitivity.

“What this shows is that these people are not failures. The relationship between pre-natal testosterone exposure and sensitivity to anxiety could then be useful in tailoring information differently to help anxiety concerning new technologies,” Brosnan said.

The research will be published in the academic journal Personality And Individual Differences. (ANI)