We’re not lost – we just don’t know where we are

We girls have a reputation for being poor map readers – but new research shows that this might actually be a good thing.

A University of Dundee lecturer in behavioural neuroscience undertook research on the effect that sat-navs are having on motorists.

She found that as a result of being led around UK roads by a big arrow, we are starting to neglect our innate ability to familiarise ourselves with our surroundings through the recognition of landmarks.

The lecturer explains that, “With GPS devices and the increase in popularity of hi-tech navigational tools, we're doing less of this visual navigation which the earliest humans will have used expertly.

“If most of our time travelling through new areas is spent following a flashing arrow instead of looking out of the windows, we're not likely to know anymore about the place for having been there.”

So, it may seem obvious, but an important part of finding your way around places seems to be the act of looking at the environment around you.

Maybe having your eyes fixed on GPS instructions or your nose stuck in a book of maps isn’t as useful as men like to make it out to be then.  Perhaps relying on our inner compasses and taking in the sights is, quite literally, the way forward.

Labels: GPS, map, motorists, road, sat-nav