Ditch the GPS. It's ruining your brain.

[Demovictory9]

It has become the most natural thing to do: get in the car, type a destination into a smartphone, and let an algorithm using GPS data show the way. Personal GPS-equipped devices entered the mass market in only the past 15 or so years, but hundreds of millions of people now rarely travel without them. These gadgets are extremely powerful, allowing people to know their location at all times, to explore unknown places and to avoid getting lost.

But they also affect perception and judgment. When people are told which way to turn, it relieves them of the need to create their own routes and remember them. They pay less attention to their surroundings. And neuroscientists can now see that brain behavior changes when people rely on turn-by-turn directions.

In a study published in Nature Communications in 2017, researchers asked subjects to navigate a virtual simulation of London’s Soho neighborhood and monitored their brain activity, specifically the hippocampus, which is integral to spatial navigation. Those who were guided by directions showed less activity in this part of the brain than participants who navigated without the device. “The hippocampus makes an internal map of the environment and this map becomes active only when you are engaged in navigating and not using GPS,” Amir-Homayoun Javadi, one of the study’s authors, told me.

The hippocampus is crucial to many aspects of daily life. It allows us to orient in space and know where we are by creating cognitive maps. It also allows us to recall events from the past, what is known as episodic memory. And, remarkably, it is the part of the brain that neuroscientists believe gives us the ability to imagine ourselves in the future.

Studies have long shown the hippocampus is highly susceptible to experience. (London’s taxi drivers famously have greater gray-matter volume in the hippocampus as a consequence of memorizing the city’s labyrinthine streets.) Meanwhile, atrophy in that part of the brain is linked to devastating conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. Stress and depression have been shown to dampen neurogenesis — the growth of new neurons — in the hippocampal circuit.

What isn’t known is the effect of GPS use on hippocampal function when employed daily over long periods of time.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ditch-the-gps-its-ruining-your-brain/2019/06/05/29a3170e-87af-11e9-98c1-e945ae5db8fb_story.html?utm_term=.7abdb9cfcb26

[dweller]

1. I've been pointing out for years

that the ability to contact others via txt etc immediately, to be able to get an answer to whatever, is degrading short term memory...

to have to remember for short times an errand, communication, or any important task excercises your short term memory and keeps it functionable...

just my 2 pence opinion

✌🏼️

[Laura PourMeADrink]

32. good points. Also increases stress. Gone are the days when you had a

breather when you said, send that to me and I will work on it. (auto 2-3 days snail mail).

Personally, I liked it better when you didn't know who called you. Now, it's like this pressure to return every email, every text, every call.

[pecosbob]

2. I've lived in dozens of major cities

one of the first things I've always done after arriving is to find the local map book that local delivery people use, having been employed as such. If you have to run into gated enclaves GPS can be near useless trying to locate an entrance. Anyone that relies on one in a time demanding workplace is behind someone that already knows the route. It's just lazy...

[csziggy]

39. any more the delivery people use GPS or Google Maps

Recently I had a delivery due but the drivers could not locate our driveway. They were using Google Maps and even when I described our mailbox and the sign for our farm they drove past FOUR times.

It turned out that Google Maps marked the center of our 60 acre farm. Ignoring the street address, Google Maps sent the drivers down the cul de sac in the neighborhood next to the farm since that was the closest street to the center of the farm. Their mapping system made no allowance to the fact that there is no access from that cul de sac onto my property.

Google Maps had the location of our house marked but indicated that it was a seven minute walk from there to my street address - the center of the farm. Instead of showing the street view of our driveway, Google Maps showed the street view of a house at a completely different address at the end of the cul de sac. The driver was fixated on finding a house that looked like that and ignored my directions.

Even with me on the phone giving the driver step by step directions, he could not overcome his addiction to Google Maps to find our property. My husband had to go out to the end of the driveway and wave the truck down on its fifth pass.

I contacted Google Maps and they have now fixed the problem - I think. Today when I look at it, my address points to my house on the map and just to the south of my driveway with my mailbox and the driveway in view.

Of course, there is still nearly a quarter of a mile from my driveway to my house, but at least it gets them onto my property!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. About twenty years ago my husband got a GPS.

He was enthralled because he'd gotten one with a rental car. It was in another part of the country, in a city he didn't know, and found it truly helpful.

But then, he got it (GPS) in our own city. That he knew. That he had no trouble navigating. At first it was a toy. But quickly it became a crutch. He was using it to get to places he knew perfectly well. I found that more than a bit disturbing.

Around that same time I acquired a GPS. Can't recall now, nearly twenty years later, exactly how I acquired it. Maybe he gave it to me. Honestly, I don't remember. But what I do remember is that it wasn't that good. It would route me ways I didn't want to go. The final straw was when I asked it to route me from Kansas City to Tulsa, OK. It insisted I travel through Oklahoma City. What the fuck? Look at a map. That's not a sensible route.

And here's the worst part. I somehow couldn't delete that trip from the GPS. Needless to say, I gave the GPS away.

In recent years, I've occasionally been with someone trying to figure out how to get somewhere, and they will use GPS. Invariably, it takes vastly longer to figure out than looking at an actual map.

I try hard not to be a luddite, not to be dismissive of modern technology, but really, read a map. Look something up. It's not that hard.

[FakeNoose]

13. That's what turned me off to GPS - the really stupid routings it uses

I live in Pittsburgh where a knowledge of bridges, hills and tunnels throughout the region is essential to getting around. Like most older eastern cities, we have patterns of one-way streets in some of the older sections. In Pittsburgh nothing is straight and square and that's one of the things I enjoy but visitors and newcomers probably find it quite frustrating.

My point is that certain destinations in the city require that you know which bridge to take, which tunnel you need to access, which intersections you need to avoid during rush hour, etc. And GPS will tell me none of that. I've found it to be truly useless, other than showing me where a particular address is. Once I know where it is I can figure out how to get there better than GPS can, 90% of the time.

[CrispyQ]

22. I went to a work event with some colleagues

and the young man driving had just moved here from Chicago so he used GPS to get us there. I saw parts of Denver I'd never seen before!

[karynnj]

137. Using it in Chicago is challenging

Near the lake, there are two levels. Sometimes the same road has upper and lower parts. My husband and I were staying in a nearby hotel and walked to my sister's place ignoring her carefully written directions and followed GPS. It took us to the lower level where we could see her high rise, but had no idea how to get there. Ultimately, we took a cab.

[alphafemale]

4. I find it extremely valuable under certain circumstances.

One of those is finding a specific location in an area you are not familiar with This is especially useful in getting to a place you have never been before, especially if dark or raining.
Another is negotiating through a large city with several Interstate junctions without exit panic because you see you have to be over four lanes in 1/2 mile.
And it is useful for traffic congestion to not only know how long the congestion is, but also to try to spot a way around it.

I do love finding alternate routes in an area once I am comfortable.

And on a day with a little extra time, I love taking a road I've never been on before, just to see where it goes.

[Duppers]

6. Same here.

[yardwork]

21. It's made business travel far less stressful for me.

[DBoon]

85. It is also useful in telling you where NOT to go

If you have driven past your location, a GPS is good for this

I use it to confirm I am on the correct route and headed to my destination.

It is a backup for a manual route selection

[JDC]

91. I agree. I use it when I need it. It's a handy tool

I travel all over the country and I use it when I need it for appointments, etc. It also advises me of construction along a route that no map will ever inform me of. I can choose an alternate route at my discretion.

[MuseRider]

98. Yes, this!

I used it on a trip from NE Kansas to Central Michigan and managed to route my way around Chicago so I did not have to drive there. If my husband had been navigating I would have ended up in Kentucky. He is simply incapable of believing that anything or anyone could get someone somewhere better than he can. He uses a tracker in his car he is so incapable of finding places and I track him and when he is good and lost and has to give up he calls me and I get him back where he is supposed to be even though he is sure I am wrong. If I could just get him to stop the habit of hearing the directions start then yelling over the directions so I can't hear it I would be fine. He needs a road gag.

IOW, I find it helpful and when alone my trip is much less stressful and I like making the route beforehand and sending it to the car or bluetoothing it from my phone. It is a good thing for me and others on the road for me to be less stressed and certain where I am going.

[quickesst]

5. What is your destination?

My destination is X.

Do you know how to get there?

Nah, I'm just going to drive around willy-nilly until I stumble upon it and hope I can remember how to get back if I need to.

Do you want me to tell you how to get there or do you have GPS available?

Nope. I need to establish my own route even if it takes me longer to get there. I'll just leave two hours early.

Sounds logical to me.


Whether it is by GPS, word of mouth, or a map, it will have the same results. Directions as to where you want to go. Once I avail myself of my GPS app to get to a certain destination, I store that information in my memory so I don't have to use the GPS to get there again. If one needs to use the GPS every single time they drive to a certain destination, then I believe seeing a memory loss doctor might be in order. It could be an aneurysm.
I can say that for myself, personally, and it is simply my opinion, The Washington Post article is a bunch of ptooey hooey. If someone is so distracted by the GPS they cannot drive responsibly, then the most logical solution would be to take an Uber, or one of those taxis mentioned in the article.

[unblock]

96. Distracted learning is difficult for most people

if you're navigating, particularly using a map -- or in any event, some way that requires active engagement, such as committing the whole route to memory -- you're more likely to actually learn the route.

If you're focused on other things, like driving or talking or sightseeing, you're less likely to learn the route.

Driving while passively taking turning instructions one at a time is not at all ideal for learning. No need to imagine an aneurysm...

[quickesst]

124. Haha

If I saw someone driving while trying to use a map, my first thought would be, "That's smart."

When I drive to an unfamiliar destination, my wife accompanies me 95% of the time. Unless I am already familiar with the area, I will use my voice GPS. We engage in conversation during the trip, but I realize that a very small portion of my attention needs to be on receiving and following the GPS instructions. Once I have reached my destination with help of the GPS, I have never, ever required its use to reach that certain destination again. My wife on the other hand, who is a passenger and is not required to focus any attention on the route we are taking, will probably not be able to tell you how to get there again. This is just psychobabble bullshit designed for those who are desperately seeking something or someone to blame their own mental shortcomings on, and those who are all too willing to provide it.

[AndJusticeForSome]

127. It seems you maybe didn't read the article carefully

Calling it "psychobabble bullshit" dismisses all of the actual neuroscience research that is available when you follow the links.

[quickesst]

129. I don't really care how much science is involved....

.... in coming to the conclusions they have reached. I am my own living proof that the science is flawed, and is sorely lacking in one aspect. Common sense. The only way the Neuroscience behind the study can be correct would be that the people who develop a dependency upon the use of GPS for all the travel they do are simply intellectually lazy or just have a bad memory. For someone who is trying to find a restaurant, doctor's office, or any unfamiliar destination to not use GPS directions if available at least the first time is just dumb. Some may require the use of the GPS a second time, but once it reaches three times and above I refer to the aforementioned intellectual laziness, or perhaps a bad memory. Without the use of a map, spoken directions from another human being, or the use of GPS, there is only one other way to reach an unknown destination. Stumble around in the dark until you get lucky.

[AndJusticeForSome]

130. To put it in the most simplistic terms

The process of finding the path had been shown in fMRI studies to engage the hippocampus, the brain region that is responsible for memory, and that fails in Alzheimer's. Following directions from GPS does not activate those regions.

Recalling a path is not the same, in terms of hippocampal activity, as *finding* a path (using spatial information, etc). That is the point. And it is most certainly NOT "psychobabble bullshit".

[quickesst]

133. Exactly how would you suggest...

....one finds an unknown location without the use of some sort of direction? Whether it is buy a map, word of mouth, or GPS, the information is transferred to the brain, and it doesn't matter if that information is given all at once at the start, the middle, or transferred to the brain right before the point of turning. Without some sort of direction, the only way one finds an unknown destination is as stated in my last post. Stumble around in the dark until you get lucky.
Perhaps we should just agree to disagree. You did not have to " put it in the most simplistic terms" because I understood the point the study was trying to convey. I simply disagree with the findings by way of logic, and common sense.

[AndJusticeForSome]

134. The method matters

It's not my opinion, it is scientific observations via fMRIs.

Following instructions such as "turn right at the next light" is not the same as performing your own navigation by having viewed a map, something that requires use of your spatial imagination. Even remembering a previous path and going that way is not the same. It seems to happen when we are actively trying to visualize where we are going and mentally evaluating paths, especially novel paths.

[quickesst]

140. Ok.....

But, if by using GPS and you are observant of your surroundings in between prompts you can use that information 2 perhaps figure out a more convenient route than the one provided by the GPS. I have done that, and it is because of the initial information provided by the GPS that provides enough information to make a return trip to a certain destination from a completely different starting point. To me, that would be making use of your "spatial imagination".

I can tell you this. For those of us who have navigated the highways and the byways for 50 years, and being born with a less-than-stellar sense of direction, GPS is a gift, and provides me with a lot more time for living, and less time wasted in driving.

[AndJusticeForSome]

142. Fair enough

To be sure, the headline was clearly overstated if not misleading.

My interest in this topic began many years ago after reading a study that showed that the size of hippocampi of taxi drivers in London (pre-GPS) correlated to the length of time they'd been driving. The longer they'd been drivers, the larger the hippocampus.

That is a very compelling observation.

[quickesst]

143. I guess it was the headline

.... That sort of took me aback. I couldn't help but think that if this was a major problem that I would have at least heard about the negative effects of using GPS. This is the first time I had encountered any information concerning this particular condition. Here is something that I found at medicalexpress.com. for some reason it would not let me copy a link. The first line in the second paragraph is what I have been pretty much basing my unprofessional opinion on. It did not occur to me that there are people who rely on GPS even for places they already know how to get to. That's sort of disturbing to me.

"Neuroscientist Veronique Bohbot of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, said the results of the studies suggest using spatial memory regularly may improve the function of the hippocampus and could help ward off cognitive impairment as we age."

"Bohbot suggested it may be wise to restrict GPS use to an aid in finding the way to a new destination, but to turn it off on the way back or when going somewhere that is not new. Building cognitive maps takes time and effort, but with the hippocampus, it may be a case of “use it or lose it,” and Bohbot said she does have fears that reducing the use of spatial navigation strategies may lead to earlier onset of Alzheimer’s or dementia."

The McGill University studies were presented at the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting last weekend.

Thanks for the conversation, and the education. I've learned something interesting.

[AndJusticeForSome]

161. Awesome

Nothing better than learning something new!



Check this out, see what you think:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/london-taxi-memory/

[quickesst]

164. Very interesting to say the least

For taxi drivers, delivery persons Etc who rely on a knowledge of traversing city streets, the training, such as the London taxi drivers driving around the city on mopeds for 3 or 4 years is a valuable asset and well worth it since their living depends upon it. I also acknowledge that the expanded memory gained from these exercises play into other aspects of their life as an asset.
What I would like to mention are the people whose livelihood does not depend upon a vast and comprehensive knowledge of the city streets in which they work. I offer delivery route drivers for example who take the same routes and stop at the same destinations on a daily basis, never varying from those routes. They would not drive the city streets on mopeds to learn the layout of an entire city just to learn a single route they would be taking on a daily basis. I would submit that there are probably exercises to increase the memory of those people with different occupations that require above-average recall as related to their occupation. Then there are those people who's livelihood does not require an above-average memory recall in order to perform their jobs well. I guess what I'm trying to say is that although taxi drivers have made the effort to increase their capacity for memory it does not automatically enhance their intelligence. That would all depend upon what if anything they have availed themselves with this asset. Maybe I DON'T know what I'm trying to say because......"THAT FREAKIN' GPS HAS FRIED MY BRAIN!!!!"

[LanternWaste]

145. I think you're confusing 'living proof' and 'anecdotal evidence.'

"I am my own living proof that the science is flawed, and is sorely lacking in one aspect. Common sense."

I think you're confusing 'living proof' and 'anecdotal evidence.' I mean, I get that we like to pretend we're smarter than science, but using five logical fallacies in one post doesn't really support your argument in any meaningful way.

[quickesst]

147. I stand by my statement

I am my own living proof as it pertains to me. Other than that, check out my post number 143. The sensational over the top title used does not particularly help the credibility of the article although it does make a valid point. By the same token, my argument based upon my observations is just as valid. That this particular study is flawed as it pertains to my own argument does not conclude that I believe, or pretend I am "smarter than science". By your own admission, you actually pretend that you are, and that you like it.

[jcgoldie]

7. Its too late

I hate to say things like this because it makes me feel like some anti-tech geezer and I'm only in my mid-40s but my recent experience is a majority of people are completely addicted to GPS. I sell a lot of livestock and farm implements on craigslist. Everything I sell they have to come to the farm to get it... I don't deliver....

It never fails. They ask for an address. I give it to them. Then I tell them, if you are using google or GPS its going to send you to the wrong end of my road 6-8 miles north of where I live because the numbers are screwy and they go up then down then back up... Then I give them explicit instructions from the interstate either by voice over the phone or in a text. Then 20 minutes after they should have arrived they text or call to say they cant find it because they drove right past ignoring my very simple directions and following GPS. This happens I would say 4 out of 5 times. Even after I tell them directly it will happen, they still ignore me and follow google. Its rather maddening.

[Skittles]

116. I have never used it; plain old maps work fine for me

[Polybius]

121. I think I know what's happening

I started driving in '97, and have consistently had GPS since roughly 2007. In that period of the 10 years without GPS, sometimes I had to ask for direction. Many times the person would say something like "Go all the way down until you reach the second stop sign, make a right, then at the third light turn right on Main Street and go until you reach the court house, then turn left and there's the beach."

Well, I always got confused after the first or second turn and got lost. My brain just can't remember that much without a voice recorder. Sadly, I can't help it, and I was only in my 20's then.

[DeminPennswoods]

8. Recently road signs have popped up

in a small local municipality that say "No trucks, this is not a GPS route".

If I'm going somewhere unfamiliar, I find directions on mapquest first to get an idea of the roads and maybe print out the last few turns to my destination before putting the address in my stand-alone GPS. Otherwise, if I'm going to a well-known public place that I've never been to, I just follow the road signs.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

19. That's exactly what I do.

Look at GoogleMaps, write down my own directions and off I go. It's not that hard.

Once I was in a car with two other people who were trying to find a place two blocks from where we were using their phone GPS. I kept on saying, look at an actual map, and they seemed to think I was speaking Martian.

[Voltaire2]

9. It's not ruining your brain it's extending it.

There is no evidence gps is ruining your brain.

The same sort of argument can be made for books.

I’ll stick with route anxiety free driving, thanks.

[Sherman A1]

11. It is a tool

Just like lots of things. All depends upon how you use it.

[UpInArms]

12. Missouri just reopened some of the 400+ roads closed due to flooding

I was grateful to use the GPS recently... because real time information was available...

Otherwise, I would have gone hours out of my way ... making a long drive even longer

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

14. Anyone bothering to remember phone numbers?

My blessed GPS got me around Boston. I would have driven in circles forever without it.

[Vinca]

15. GPS isn't infallible. We live near a narrow, winding, dirt road with cliffs on one side

and a sharp drop to a stream on the other. For some reason GPS has told tractor-trailer truck drivers it's a shortcut to a Walmart in the next town. No need to explain what happened next. As for judgment and perception, a young man turned up at my door with a pizza I had supposedly ordered. This is a rural area, but the numbers of the houses are clearly marked by the road for everyone. The guy was delivering to #45. I'm #227. But his GPS sent him to me. Guess he didn't know what the number signs meant.

[logosoco]

16. It can be helpful but sometimes it doesn't really do what you wish.

My husband and I went on a road trip Memorial Day weekend. I wanted to go up to Iowa and Nebraska, to see the countryside and complete my bucket list of visiting each of the 8 states that border Missouri. We were not familiar at all with the area so we needed some help, BUT I wanted to travel along the older smaller highways. The GPS assumed I wanted the fastest route. At one point it tried and tried to get us to turn around and get on the big highway. We kept NOT doing that. Finally it gave up and told us the other route. But I swear it sounded like it was rolling it's eyes!

[Submariner]

17. Next time you want to try the more scenic route

in a Garmin GPS go to Settings > Navigation > Calculation Mode, and you can choose Faster Time, Shorter Distance, and Off Road.

Try 'shorter distance' and it may track the slower more scenic routes you prefer. I use it in New England. If I set shorter distance the GPS takes me to the shore road into NH and Maine instead of the nearby interstate.

[Tech]

18. Both are beneficial

My husband does the driving and used gps, I am the navigator and love maps. It's not an either/or for us. Using both works.

[MineralMan]

20. My wife loves to have her phone tell her how to get to places.

Trouble is that I'm the one doing the driving most of the time. So, the phone is giving directions and getting all bent out of shape when the route I planned in advance isn't the same as the route her phone wants to use.

I have a very simple rule for driving to a destination I haven't been to before. It is "Take the route with the fewest number of turns and street or highway changes."

I do my route planning on Google maps. I know what roads are under construction, because I pay attention to that. Before making a final decision, I follow the route on Google maps, zooming in on it to the level that shows me what businesses are along the route. If the route contains any strange intersections, freeway exists, roundabouts, or other nonsense, I switch to satellite view and look for those nifty arrows painted on the roads at intersections. That lets me be in the correct lane for what I want to do.

Then I remember that stuff. I do print out a map of the local area around my destination so I can maneuver if something is off or a street is closed.

Fewest number of turns. That's my rule. Often, that's not the shortest route, but it's the easiest route. So, while my wife's phone is frantically telling her to "Return to the route," I'm driving along to our destination and paying attention to the traffic and other things so we get there in one piece and with a minimum of stress. I studiously ignore the voice on her iPhone.

When we moved from California to Minnesota, I drove the moving truck I bought used from UHaul in the lead. and my wife followed in our minivan. She asked me why I didn't have a road atlas in the truck. I said, "Why? We go east on I-40 until we get to I-35. Then we go North. I have a printout with turn-by-turn directions to your parents house, once we get to St. Paul." She had her phone. We got there just fine. Fewest number of turns.

[csziggy]

50. I also use Google Maps to plan trips

Driving back from North Carolina in 2017 I wanted to take back roads rather than the interstatee and definitely wanted to avoid Atlanta. So each night before leaving the hotel, I'd plan my route, follow it on my tablet, and save it. I'd also check out problematic intersections on Google Street View so I could see exactly how they would look from the driver's perspective and the direction I'd be approaching.

Usually, I am navigating while my husband is driving so I'd have the tablet out, following the route on it, and giving him the directions. Much more fun for a long married couple than listening to an electronic device dictating our route! Plus, when I had a connection I could look up likely places to stop to sight see, places to take photos, and eateries.

In addition, for our trip to the UK starting next month, we planned our entire itinerary using Google Maps and the various organizations that provide information on places to go. I tracked each day and put on my itinerary "waypoints" so I could remember the routes I wanted to take. Each day will be 2-4 hours of driving with 2-5 places to stop and see along the way. Mostly we're planning to go to Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds (RSPB) Reserves, National Trust sites, and other places of that sort.

Unfortunately it is not practical to save two months of driving so we will take our itinerary and recreate each day's route - which of course can change as needed/wanted. I'm taking my tablet - if the rental car does not have linkage, I may buy a SIM card for it so I can keep connected most of the time.

The one place I did NOT try to plan routes was in London. We will turn in our rental care before we get there and take cabs while in the city. We do know where we want to go for the five- six days we're in London, so it's just a matter of finding the best way to get there. My husband is not sure I should try to take mass transit - when we were in Alexandria he took the Metro into DC. One day a woman fell on the steps into the train and he helped her up but it freaked him out about the possibility that could happen with me. So we took a cab into DC instead.

[smirkymonkey]

115. I don't drive, but I do use Uber/Lyft in Boston and I know my way around very well by car.

However, most of the drivers are completely dependent upon GPS even though it can be completely wrong (bringing me to the wrong address, or to the back of our building complex which I can't enter and is about a 10 minute walk from the employee entrance, etc.) and I will correct them and tell them where to go.

Most of them will listen to me, but some of them are very stubborn and tell me that the GPS is telling them to do X. I try to be polite and let them know that I know where I live/work and that I am certain of the route, but it can be really aggravating sometimes when they refuse to do anything but what the GPS tells them to do.

[Demovictory9]

159. that is one annoying thing about following the phone instructions. it will have you turn and turn

and turn. It will take you down small neighborhood streets with stop signs. I will ignore it sometimes and stay on the main drag.

[ooky]

23. I rarely use mine but when I

need to zero in on an unfamiliar address or am passing through an unfamiliar and high traffic area I really like it.

[GoCubsGo]

24. I have never had one to ditch.

Call me a "Luddite", but I prefer the old paper maps. They are much cheaper, and they have never failed me. They fit in the glove box, and they don't need charging. Glad to know my brain is benefiting from this as much as is my wallet.

[DFW]

102. Nor have I

I think we must be among the last ten people in the whole of western civilization.......

[mercuryblues]

25. I love mine

when traveling alone on unfamiliar routes. I want to keep my eyes on the road, not a map and not pulling over to see my next set of turns. Do I use it in town. Sometimes, when I have to go somewhere that I am unfamiliar with. Last week we had to go to a function in a huge subdivision at their country club. Thanks to my phone we found it no problem. If I used a map, we would still be looking for it. The road it is on was about 10 miles long and the club had a very small sign we would have easily missed. "500 feet, turn left" meant slow down and start looking for the sign and entrance.

[ismnotwasm]

26. My husband has Multiple Sclerosis

GPS helps with memory recall and in some cases keeps him from making bad directional decisions. GPS and other technology has kept him active and behind the wheel. Even twenty years ago he wouldn’t have been able to do what he’s able to do today.

I don’t doubt the study, but I do wonder—driving is a relatively recent phenomena. Frequent travel itself wasn’t open to the the masses, as it was costly and potentially dangerous

Obviously at one time humans wandered very far, but did all rely on directional ability, or did we follow certain leaders or scouts? We clearly HAVE directional ability, better in some than others. We met an immigrant from Tonga, who, join moving to southwest Seattle had a very difficult time with directions, especially when there was no sun. He had been embarrassed to ask, but my husband helped him out.

[lpbk2713]

27. I go a certain way from one side of town to the other.

Traffic flow is usually good and there are fewer traffic lights.
It usally works out better than the more travelled routes.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

28. For 20 years I found my way around the world using the stars, sun and Moon.

That's because I was an Air Force navigator in the Military Airlift Command in the days before GPS.

Then my sister-in-law gave me a $55 handheld GPS that was 10 times more accurate than I ever could possibly be.

This is why God invented sledgehammers.

Now all I have to do is explain to her why I'm not using her present.

[mitch96]

64. " I found my way around the world using the stars, sun and Moon."

Amen to that.. Where ever I am I look at where the sun is and then find north. When I was a kid (55 yrs ago) we would go camping. To find our way around we would use a topo map and a compass. Years later I got into sailing and taught my self to use a sextant.. What a bitch but it worked and the batteries never died.. While motorcycling around the US my GPS on the bike was god sent. But it does screw up sometime..
Once in Utah in a blinding rainstorm in the middle of nowhere (no fun on a bike) it had us make a right turn over a rickety old wood bridge. As soon as we got over it it said "MAKE U TURN" Man talk about PISSED!!
m

[Backseat Driver]

29. I am "directionally challenged" and have been all my life.

I've found it truly is a handicap. I get lost easily; hate driving to unknown locations on unknown roads and interstates. One night coming home from work, my main drag was detoured due to an accident at night. I got turned around and actually crossed over that route home without even recognizing the intersection that would have continued my way home though I'd been driving it for years. Mom suffered with and was eventually hospitalized with hyperemesis gravidarum from day 1 of her pregnancy I'm told, and I wonder if the fact she probably had malnutrition early in my embryonic/fetal life could have caused this condition. I hardly ever use my phone's GPS navigation basically because if I don't have to drive myself, I just don't. This confession of a really bad disability is difficult to explain to those that seem to have that internal compass. As a senior now, I still have to work on coping devices and tools like mall directories and parking aisles relative to store fronts signs or structure or writing down the code signage. As the map reader/navigator I do okay determining where to go, but behind the wheel and executing the directions without another body coaching me, not so much unless I've done it over and over, same way, no changes. LOL, SPIN ME AROUND!

[trev]

30. I don't use the GPS app on my phone

but I do have an old Magellan that I use if I'm going to a city where I've never been before. Most often, though, I use GoogleMaps and memorize the directions. (I used to love MapQuest, but it's become almost impossible to use.)

I have other activities that help me retain short-term memory, so I'm not particularly concerned about the GPS usage.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

34. Like what? "other activities that help me retain short-term memory" would love to know.

[trev]

40. Well, for one,

I belong to a bimonthly dream interpretation discussion group. Often a person's recent dreams are similar to those they've had in the past (and similar to other members' as well), so keeping dream images and events in mind helps my memory.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

43. Wow that's very interesting. Had a most vivid dream the other night - looking for

celery for soup and I had two giant refrigerators and each part within had it's own door so I had to open each one to see if there was celery in it.

[trev]

53. In search of the lost celery.... :) Cool.

Ever find it?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

80. No. It was for potato soup and it was past dinner

Time and the soup wasn't white it was dark deep purple. I was making it for a big in-law get-together...so probably explains a lot.

I dream lots of weird stuff. Like they moved all the states around. Some states the turned on their side.

You?

[trev]

88. In 2007

I had fifteen almost-consecutive dreams about UFOs. I wrote about them in my blog.

Fun stuff.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

107. Wow Trev - that's amazing. do you publish your blog link here? would like to read

[trev]

119. I don't know how to publish anything on here, other than posts. LOL

trevtrevaskis.blogspot.com

[Solly Mack]

31. I plug-in a destination and still trace my route with a map. Both, IOW.

I study the map, jot down important highways and exits. I memorize more than one route to the same point before I hit the road. Still input my destination into the GPS.

If I want to take a detour, I can do so knowing all my options. If I run into some unexpected construction or road damage or whatever, my GPS is there for the rescue. Rerouting me quicker than stopping to examine the maps again.

GPS is a tool. A helpful one. Doesn't mean you simply stop learning to read/or stop using a map.

Digital clocks don't mean stop teaching children to tell time.

Tools are handy. Beneficial. Knowledge and know-how are forever.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

35. wow, you must be a brainiac ! :) If you are in a big city you really do have to

at least run through it before using GPS, IMHO. At least general directions. In Houston, for example, there are so many lane shifts that come so quickly, you just can't react fast enough to be in the right place if you don't know the major hwys and intersections.

[Solly Mack]

37. I stated I use GPS. I said I used both maps and GPS.

Last edited Sat Jun 8, 2019, 02:03 PM - Edit history (2)

* Edited because I read a comment wrong and responded poorly. I apologize to LPMAD and the board.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

44. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I would never do that ! I am serious. I was impressed girl !

[Solly Mack]

45. Oh, OK. My bad. I enjoy maps is all. Handy little buggers.

My GPS is also handy. I don't leave home without either.

I used to drive across the country 4 times a year. Before GPS.

[trev]

41. "Digital clocks don't mean stop teaching children to tell time."

There was a recent thread on this subject. By and large, children are not being taught how to tell analog time. My 10-year-old nephew can't do it at all.

[Solly Mack]

42. That's a shame too.

They should be taught how to tell time.

As with the GPS, use it - it's there and it's handy - but don't stop teaching people how to read a map.

The single best thing to teach anyone is how to find out what you don't know. How to look things up and where to look. How to search out the information you need. How to figure it out.

But that's how I see it. Other people see it differently.

But for me, technology enhances and improves - not necessarily supplants. It can and does, of course ...but not always.

[trev]

54. I agree.

In college, I was required to take a class in how to do research--using books, of course. Although search engines make things very easy nowadays, I think it would be useful to teach people how to recognize a valid site from an invalid one. People could use a good training in how to spot propaganda.

Like you, I use both GPS (very seldom, though; I don't remember the last time I did. In fact, I don't think it's even in my car at the moment) and maps. I studied cartography in college, and was required to do land navigation in the Army, so fortunately my mapreading skills are still at least there, if a bit dormant.

[Solly Mack]

59. It has gotten easier to research what you don't know but that ease hasn't exactly

improved inclination.

Wouldn't hurt to teach about the various kinds of propaganda while kids are still in high school. I know they can learn about it in college but an earlier start would be better.

[trev]

66. Again, agreed.

What it comes down to is critical thinking. I didn't get such a class until I was a college senior, but fortunately I was born with a natural inclination for it. Throughout my schooling, I loved knowledge and digging after the truth. I did an in-depth study of the Vietnam War as a sophomore in high school, running for dozens of typed pages and taking me the entire year. At the end of that effort, I knew exactly where I stood on the issue, and--more importantly--why.

I'm happy to report that my children have followed in my footsteps.

[trev]

151. Yes, I mentioned the same thing on a thread somewhere.

My high school didn't teach critical thinking, but I had several English classes where I was exposed to philosophy and logic.

I'm all for critical thinking classes, as early as feasible. I taught it to my own children myself.

[csziggy]

56. You are right - "The single best thing to teach anyone is how to find out what you don't know."

That is more important than memorizing facts in my opinion. Of course, it also needs to include how to tell the difference between fact and propaganda but that's another subject!

[Solly Mack]

62. I think classes on the techniques of propaganda and what they mean should be taught

as early as 9th grade.

Classes exist at the college level but an earlier start would be better.

Can easily be part of a critical thinking/learning how to learn program of study.

[trev]

67. Yeah, the thread is covering that issue, too. :)

[trev]

150. Yes, I agree.

I'm not above using a GPS or online map program. In fact, unless I'm going someplace where the directions are very complicated, I usually use GoogleMaps. Not the same as reading a real map, but at least I can get an overview of what the street layout is.

On my last trip driving to California, I stopped in to a gas station to buy a map. They didn't carry them....

[CRK7376]

149. About half of each class,

I'm a high school History Teacher, can read my classroom clock. If it's not digital, they are lost. Plus I might on a good day see 10 kids in the school wearing a wrist watch....It just floors me they don't know how to read a clock....My three children know how to read the clock both am/pm and 24hour, but only one, the middle child wears a watch on a regular basis...I would be lost and probably crazed if I didn't have a watch on my wrist.

[trev]

152. I haven't worn a watch for 20 years.

My last one was the only digital version I'd ever owned, and I only wanted it for the stopwatch function so I could time my workouts. I didn't wear it any other time.

I have plenty of clocks in my environment--both analogue and digital. I see no reason to wear something I find uncomfortable and, frankly, annoying.

[suffragette]

48. Good point about using multiple tools and methods.

I use buses so my process is somewhat different, but in some ways similar.

I use a couple of tech tools to find which bus routes I need, metro’s trip planner for planning and an app for real time and location info. I also look at maps before and while on the road.

And I’ve learned how to work around the trip planner’s quirks. Like GPS, at times it will provide only options which clearly aren’t the optimal ones, with multiple transfers or having to walk up steep hills to get to a bus stop. Since I know some major routing info options and by looking at a map, I can figure out a better transfer point I would want to use and start a search from there instead of my actual starting point, then find an easier, faster and more direct route.

[Solly Mack]

52. Once, in Germany, near the Czech Republic border, the GPS was adamant about our

going through a snow covered field with no discernible road. We circled a couple of times and said "Fuck it". Through the snow we went.

At the end of the snow covered field and across the way was our destination.

Turns out, there was no road in that field but it was the best way to go.

On the maps, that field was just that - an empty space of no importance to how the roads were laid out.

Go figure.

I love how handy GPS and apps are for getting things done. But personal experience and knowledge of things like maps shouldn't be discounted.

[trev]

55. I had a similar experience in the German town of Belsen-Moessingen.

The GPS told us to use the tracks running across a farmer's field (illegal). After a few attempts to find an alternate route, we finally just went ahead and did it. Took us directly to our destination.

[Solly Mack]

57. We looked around for the polizei before finally taking the plunge.

We relied less on GPS after that trip. At least for the hamlets and small towns.

[trev]

68. We were many kilometers outside of our known territory

looking for the site of a 2000-year-old settlement. The GPS got us to the main location, but we still had to find our way to the site itself.

[suffragette]

61. Completely agree. I often help tourists who are clearly befuddled when looking at an app or a

tourist map and trying to figure out where they are and how to get to their destination. I clue them into some simple basics for getting around here including using a couple landmarks as referent points. Much easier to find places once you can re-center yourself.

Google maps can lead to very confusing walking directions, especially with Seattle’s one way streets and an area where two developers different grid plans clash into each other. That default to driving directions can take a person walking a quarter mile out of their way on a loop-de- loop route. Kind of the opposite of what you just described.

I have some great memories of being helped by local people when I was visiting a new city. I figure I’m just completing the circle.

[Solly Mack]

65. Yes. Exactly. Landmarks and kind people are your friend.

Though I have been looked at funny when asking for clarification (of directions) while on a road trip. What is obvious to those who live there isn't so obvious to a traveler.

Kind people are a plus to any situation.

And that goes back to a different kind of basic in learning.

[trev]

69. Reminds me of Chevy Chase in *Vacation*.

"See where it says 'pork ribs'? Turn there. Then you'll see an old Torino with no wheels...."

[Solly Mack]

75. lol! But so true. I've gotten directions a lot like that while on road trips.

[trev]

77. I used to have a friend who lived in the foothills outside of town.

She didn't know any of the street names on the way to her house, so she used this kind of directions to get people there. My first try was a disaster, as I ended up several miles past her place where the road ended at a waterfall....

[Solly Mack]

83. I'm from Atlanta and moved to the mountains while a teen.

I went from taking the next block at such and such well known and famous building to look for the big red wagon and take a right.

I looked the idiot to my new neighbors but they would have been just as out of place in my old neighborhood.

Makes sense if you live there and all that.

[suffragette]

76. In Seattle, the pink elephant car wash sign is a bit like that :)

It makes for an easy and unmistakeable navigation point.

[trev]

79. Nice.

Been meaning to visit Seattle one of these days. But I've heard so many horror stories I'm kind of scared to try it.

[suffragette]

82. There's much that is beautiful to see here. Worth the try.

[trev]

89. I've heard about the Underground City

and of course, the Space Needle. Would like to see them.

[suffragette]

95. This are both fun in different ways. The Space Needle provides a panoramic view of whole area

and the Underground Tour gives a whimsical view of some of the history here.

[suffragette]

74. So true. I wonder if part of the reason for the funny look is the person thinking why would

the GPS, app or map tell them to go that way. That kind of momentary huh? Before problem solving mode kicks in.

All this brings back a memory of years ago when I was trying to get to a location out in a Paris suburb.

I was waiting for a commuter train, but these trains didn’t have the extra helpful signs that the main part of the stations did and the route number readers on the front of the buses weren’t easy to differentiate either.

I saw a couple a few benches over and asked for help. I had limited French and they limited English. They indicated on which bench I should wait and about how long to expect.

As each bus approached, I would stand up, then look at them. Finger wags and shakes of the head told me not to catch a few buses. At that point, the guy came over and waited with me, then got me on the right bus.

Still a happy memory after all these years and a part of why I love Paris so much.

Also reminds me of a quote from the Dalai Lama: "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."

[trev]

78. I like that quote. :)

[Solly Mack]

81. I love nice people! Even when I know they've taken pity on me. :)

Which has happened. I could tell by the look on their face. lol

Still, very helpful.

[suffragette]

86. That couple definitely had taken pity on me. And glad they did.

On one trip to Europe with my sister, she kept leaving her change purse behind in every store in France we visited. From the smallest village to Paris, store keepers chased down the block after her to return that change purse to her. We still laugh about that and appreciate the helpfulness that led them all to take that action.

[Solly Mack]

90. A storekeep in Dublin felt so sorry for me he closed shop to get me back to my husband.

We separated to buy gifts and I got horribly turned around. Which is hard to do once you consider the quays - so it was explained to me in detail. But I went down one of the cobbled sidewalks and then another ally. Lost.

The man was super nice though.

[suffragette]

93. Bet that's a fond memory for him as well. It enriches your life to help others out.

I love little twisty and turn paths and the unexpected joys you can stumble upon when taking them, but yes, so easy to get turned around on them.

[Solly Mack]

97. He was older and the kind of grumpy and gruff you know comes with a big heart.

He probably does talk about the silly American. lol

[trev]

100. I ran into a shopowner like that in Heidelberg.

He ran an antique toy store. I couldn't quite follow his dialect--which was different than what I was used to in Stuttgart--but he helped me choose a toy that I later used in my novel. I included him, too, although in a slightly altered description.

[Solly Mack]

103. I lived in Mannheim. Most of my photos are of Heidelberg though.

I enjoyed living in Mannheim but I adored Heidelberg.

[trev]

105. Heidelberg remains my favorite city in the world.

I like it better than London, even. My daughter is very proud of the fact she was born there.

Mannheim always seemed too modern to me, for some reason. I preferred an older look.

[suffragette]

118. You were probably the most fun encounter

of his day!

[trev]

92. My German next-door neighbors kind of took me in.

Helped me learn the language, had me over for dinner, sat with me in the local Biergarten in the evenings. Proofread a book I wrote to make sure I got German culture right in my descriptions.

And they were liberals! Icing on the cake.

[Solly Mack]

94. They sound lovely! We spent several celebrations/holidays with German friends.

I think that was the best part of living in Germany. Not just learning about different traditions but being part of them.

[trev]

99. Yes.

I used to enjoy the Christmas Markets, and visited a good number of them. And I loved going to all the castles. In Heidelberg, every July they celebrated the 14th Century burning of the castle by dropping fireworks off the building's walls. It was pretty cool.

[suffragette]

117. I remember that well. Lived in Karlsruhe and

enjoyed visiting Heidelberg.

[trev]

120. The thing I disliked about Karlsruhe

was how A5 ran a ring around it. I was always confused about which exit I needed.

[suffragette]

131. Yes and the layout in town was like a fan, similar to DC. It's unusual to encounter anyone

who has even heard of Karlsruhe, much less been there.

First time I ever heard an actual cuckoo bird in the forest was there.

[trev]

132. Awesome.

My first cuckoo was in the forest surrounding the Einsiedel, about 10 miles south of Tuebingen.

[kysrsoze]

33. It's essential in L.A. traffic. Not having it can easily add

a half hour or hour to my commute. I don’t dare drive to work without it. I think it’s B.S that your brain doesn’t map the routes while using it. I’ve learned where to go with my options, but GPS tells me which one gets me to work in a reasonable amount of time.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

36. I think you learn the most as a passenger with a map. The whole time I am always thinking - why

are we going this way? (w/GPS driver). i.e. toward or away from the ocean, city, north vs south, whatever.

[Blecht]

38. I'm surprised there weren't more responses like yours in this thread

It's not just about the route -- the live traffic information incorporated into these things is extremely valuable.

I love maps and know how to get everywhere in my area, but I always check to see what the GPS recommends. Then I choose my route based on my experience.

A GPS is essential in any place where standstill traffic is a common occurrence -- avoiding an hour delay is well worth it to me.

[trev]

72. Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods

the GPS is irrelevant for avoiding traffic. There are only two bridges that cross the river, and they are always backed up. Once I'm in Portland, the city's layout is such that finding your way is easy. (It's a noted "walkable" city.)

[Voltaire2]

47. Systems like Waze open whole new

ways to get where you are going that you would likely never find otherwise.

GPS + dynamic routing is just so far beyond a printed map, they aren’t really in the same league.

[kysrsoze]

60. Yup. First thing I do on the commute is fire up Waze

I still like regular maps, and if I know where I’m going and can expect nothing weird, I don’t bother with navigation.

[PasadenaTrudy]

112. Sadly, Waze

is bringing so much traffic to our quiet streets in South Pasadena. People speeding in 25 mph zones is just too much.

[trev]

71. All of my trips into downtown LA

were done without GPS (didn't exist then) and without maps. I was pretty good at finding my way around places as a young man. I did make a mistake once while on a trip to the VA hospital. Got off the freeway at the 1000 block of Wilshire Blvd. Turned out I was actually looking for the address of 10,000 Wilshire. Took an hour to get there.

[lunatica]

46. Google maps has been a huge help to me because I moved to a new city

There is nothing better to be able to navigate a totally new city. Without google maps I wouldn’t know where to even start finding my way around. The result is that now I have a general mental idea of the city I live in. I use google maps which always shows me where I am in relation to where I want to go. As I become familiar with the area I use it less and less.

[muriel_volestrangler]

49. Headline appears to be misleading clickbait

because what the article actually says is "What isn’t known is the effect of GPS use on hippocampal function when employed daily over long periods of time".

So a truthful headline would be "I'm guessing that GPS is ruining your brain, but have no evidence for that".

That a study showed increased hippocampal activity while navigating without a GPS is just what you'd expect, and doesn't show anything is 'ruined'. They have not shown atrophy, stress or depression from using GPS .

[AndJusticeForSome]

135. Very good points. n/t

[no_hypocrisy]

51. Akin to calculators: you tend to lose the ability to do mental math like

addition, subtraction, and the multiplication tables. Your right brain is needed to move components into order and devices detract from that function.

[gopiscrap]

58. I found that is the same with a cell phone

every number I received before a cell phone, I memorized, I have over 2000 numbers in my head from memory but since I got a cell phone any new number other than my wife and kids numbers and about 10 friends who I call repeatedly, I have to look up.

[YOHABLO]

63. Remember the days when we had paper maps spread out in the car? I do.

Sorry, but GPS is a life safer for travelers. Coming into a new city which you may have never been to before, the GPS systems available are extremely helpful. There are other ways to strengthen memory.

[Demovictory9]

114. I remember. then Thomas Guide books. I still have one in my car. It was hard to find.

[Hekate]

70. For those born without a sense of direction, Siri is a godsend...

'Nuff said.

[Blue_Tires]

73. truth...

[The Genealogist]

84. I use it, sparingly.

I use it when I am going someplace that could be difficult for me to find without navigation. I remember what life was like before devices like this: Dad driving around in circles trying to get someplace, never stopping for directions or admitting he was lost. He used to say "I've never been lost, just bewildered for several days." Then there was HIS dad, with whom I don't recall a road trip without several stops at gas stations for directions, as we invariably took wrong turns. These are not particularly pleasant memories, but I do miss going on a long trip with the "TripTik" from AAA. I'd just ride in the car looking through those. Loved them!

[trev]

104. I don't think I'll live to see the country fully using driverless cars

and, to be honest, I'm just as glad. Not a fan.

[Sapient Donkey]

101. I don't use turn-by-turn navigation all the time, but I do find it uncomfortable to

drive without a map displayed on my console. My GPS went out in my car recently and holy hell did it take some getting used to. I didn't think it would be that much of an issue since I don't the turn-by-turn except for complicated routes that are new to me. But I was surprised to learn just how much I passively relied on the real time map, and how unprepared it made me feel to not see it. It actually gave me a little bit of anxiety not having it.

[tymorial]

106. I have made hey similar argument to my wife

I didn't go into the biology of reliance on GPS but I have pointed out that we have lived in this new city for a year and she still doesn't know where anything is because all she ever uses is the GPS.

[OhZone]

108. I only use it on difficult trips to places I never went to before. Or if I get lost.

Like the time I visited my friend Tara in Salem, MA. Crazy twists and turns all around from the Jersey Shore fer sure. ha

[wasupaloopa]

109. I have no sense of direction and no short term memory. Thank you GPS

[Phentex]

110. I have no sense of direction either! Memory is fine...

But the GPS was one of the greatest things ever invented for ME personally.

I have been lost in cities all over the world. It doesn't matter how many times I have been to a place, I can find myself lost. Some of us have hippos instead of hippocampuses. I can get lost in my own neighborhood if I'm not careful. I consider it to be like someone who is colorblind or someone with a weak sense of smell. It just IS. Hotels where the halls all look the same and large hospitals with many wings and doors are nightmares for me! I am that rat who would never be able to find the cheese!

Yes, I still look at a map ahead of time, searching for landmarks to remember, and I will print directions too. But the GPS can always get me home.

[wasupaloopa]

111. I use to spend complete afternoons lost in Los Angeles.

I would finally make it back home having wasted the day.

[sakabatou]

125. Kind of the same

[customerserviceguy]

155. Same here

When you think of all the gallons of gas no longer wasted because of GPS, not to mention wasted time, this is a productive thing for all of us from the space program.

[pansypoo53219]

113. i am a map head. i will do my own trip-tiks. i have been known to just turn eastwhen i was driving

north following lake mich to see how close i could get + found some great stuff off the I.

[EllieBC]

122. I prefer actual maps.

I have a weird love of maps and when going somewhere new I like to look over a good up to date road atlas. I learn where I am going that way. GPS never teaches me how to get anywhere anymore than having a passenger tell me directions.

[DavidDvorkin]

123. Real men use astrolabes.

[rusty quoin]

126. Here, I'm at the end.

I think it makes life easier like a zero turn lawn mower. If you ever had lots of trees and bushes and one of them, you appreciate it. I like GPS.

[Freddie]

128. It's a wonderful tool but

There was a recent study on the causes of auto accidents other than alcohol. I think one of them is the GPS which takes you the shortest route without regard to the driving decisions needed. DH was in an unfamiliar area and the GPS had him making a left turn onto a major highway at a stop sign. Oh hell no.

[Kaleva]

136. Until Tom Tom came along, I could not drive in urban areas

[MrScorpio]

138. I love maps.

Maps have always enhanced my sense of direction. With GPS loaded in my phone, I can now gage my present location to my destination. Once I know where I’m going, I can use the rest of the map to figure out how to get there.

I rarely use the suggested routes once I’ve figured it all out.

[brooklynite]

139. Much safer to stare at a paper map while driving?

As for me, I frequently second guess the GPS instructions, rather than accept them blindly.

[Catherine Vincent]

141. I rarely use it because I don't like the route it gives

I'm old school. I rather google the route myself.

[Act_of_Reparation]

144. Oh, for fuck's sake.

Here's the actual study:https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14652

The discussion is somewhat disparate from this "GPS might cause alzheimer's" horseshit.

[NurseJackie]

146. I don't care. My hippocampus can't tell if there's construction ahead...

I don't care. My hippocampus can't tell if there's construction ahead, slow traffic, or an accident that will delay my trip. But WAZE can tell me far enough in advance AND it can re-route me using the next-fastest way.

Look, I hate technology as much as anyone... but this is something that is a "lifesaver" and definite time-saver for me.

I'll keep my GPS, thank you.

[CRK7376]

148. I love the Garmin GPS

in my truck and my wife and sons tell me to use my phone instead....I ignore their recommendations. In addition to the Garmin, I'm retired Army guy with long love affair with Topographic maps, compass, azimuth, pace count etc...I still have a 2008 Walmart USA Road map book and the NC Counties Topograhic Atlas stuffed under the passenger seat, plus Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, ColumbiaSC, and the NC Highway Roadmaps in the door pockets. As a high school Social Studies teacher I spend time each semester teaching the kids to us a roadmap, topo map, have a 4 lane compass course marked out on school property, we do our pace count on the track....Some of the kids actually enjoy doing map and compass...nothing more than a simple math problem.....

[robbob]

153. I drove back from vacationing in Bar Harbour, Maine to my home near Ottawa Ontario.

I honestly don’t know how I would have done it without Google Map navigating for me. The first 2 hours of the trip I don’t think I was on any stretch of road for more then 15 minutes. It had me zigging and zagging in short 2-3 mile stretches for the longest time. It was beautiful, I’m sure it was the most direct route, and I didn’t have to worry about being lost every time I turned onto a new road.

[Demovictory9]

160. it wasn't necessarily the most direct route. It takes into account drive time.

it will have you zig and zag to avoid traffic.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

154. Growing up I always prided myself with an internal map.

I like to say I still have that directional knack.

I rarely use GPS as it is.

I kind of like old paper maps just because it’s fun to pretend I’m a general in an old war movie.

[3catwoman3]

156. I will take my chances. My husband is a retired pilot. For 40+...

...years, while on the job, he had the luxury of flight plans created ahead of time, and instant access to experts who could advise about any needed route changes.

Road trips with him before GPS were agonizing. If we would get lost, not only would he not stop anywhere to ask directions, he would hand me a folded up map and expect me to instantly be able to find where we were. I could never do it fast enough.

GPS is a marriage saver.

[BootinUp]

158. Are paper maps hazardous?

Tongue in cheek.

[ecstatic]

162. I'm horrible with directions because I didn't wear glasses growing up

I couldn't see, so I didn't pay attention. I'm trying to change this awful habit by paying attention more (when I can remember to).

[DashOneBravo]

163. Fuck the what..

Not is