Physiological anthropology design: a comparative study between Germany and Japan.

With the recent globalization of industrial products, there is doubt as to whether the methodology of Physiological Anthropology has also been standardized. The purpose of this study is to assess signs of standardization through a comparative analysis of Physiological Anthropology design in Germany and Japan. This survey investigates its characteristics through four factors: comfort, usability, sensation and aesthetics. Both nations regard the first three indicators as important. The difference in assessment is, however, considerable. While German physiological anthropologists use subjective evaluation by means of questionnaires, somatometry and biomechanical analysis, their Japanese counterparts apply physiological measurements of the higher nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. Polymorphism and improving functional potentiality have recently gained increasing respect in Japan. Notions of aesthetics are not consciously analyzed in both countries. If the sense of beauty of product design relates to a physical and mental response, developing a systematic analysis on this factor would be a useful task for Physiological Anthropology.