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CrowdScience: Can I improve my sense of direction?

Discussion & Talk

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12/02/2021 GMT

Can I improve my sense of direction?

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, Can I improve my sense of direction?

Why do some people navigate with ease whilst others struggle to find their way?

Why do some people frequently get lost whereas others can orientate themselves with ease? We explore the biological and environmental factors that influence success.

Do you find your bearings quickly or are you easily disorientated? Do your friends trust you with the directions in a new city?
Finding our way in the physical world – whether that’s around a building or a city - is an important everyday capability, one that has been integral to human survival. This week CrowdScience listeners want to know whether some people are ‘naturally’ better at navigating, so presenter Marnie Chesterton sets her compass and journeys into the human brain.  
Accompanied by psychologists and neuroscientists Marnie learns how humans perceive their environment, recall routes and orientate themselves in unfamiliar spaces. We ask are some navigational strategies better than others?

Marnie also hears that the country you live in might be a good predictor of your navigation skills and how growing up in the countryside may give you an wayfaring advantage. But is our navigational ability  down to biology or experience, and can we improve it? 

With much of our modern map use being delegated to smartphones, Marnie explores what implications an over-reliance on GPS technology might have for our brain health.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Melanie Brown

(Photo:Lost man with map. Credit: Getty Images)

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