What does ergonomics focus on?

Ergonomics focuses on fitting jobs to people, ensuring that the work environment, tasks, and tools are designed to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. This discipline involves understanding how individuals interact with their work environment, which includes the physical space, tools, and tasks required. By considering human capabilities and limitations, ergonomics aims to reduce the risk of injury, enhance comfort, and increase productivity. This can involve modifications in workstation design, tool design, and workflow practices to better align with an individual's physical and cognitive abilities.

The other options explore different aspects of human experience and technology but do not capture the essence of ergonomics. Studying human emotions, for example, taps into psychological and emotional health, whereas improving mechanical interfaces focuses on the interactions between humans and machines rather than adapting work environments to fit human needs. Simulating virtual environments is related to virtual reality and technology, which does not specifically address the foundational goals of ergonomics in the context of optimizing human work environments.