Why You Should Stop Using GPS Navigation
upstart writes:
Take off the training wheels once in a while:
Turn-by-turn navigation on phones and dedicated GPS devices has made it much easier to travel. However, the reliance on GPS navigation comes at a cost-you never actually learn how to get anywhere. That's a problem.
My world changed when my HTC Eris received an update to enable turn-by-turn navigation in Google Maps. I have always been comically bad at navigating. Even places I've been to dozens of times can escape my memory. So having a GPS device in my pocket gave me a lot of confidence to travel.
[...] Recently, I've made a concerted effort to rely less on GPS navigation. Sometimes I will literally just start driving and see what happens. Other times I'll look up my destination in Google Maps first to create a mental map in my head. If I get lost, I can pull out my phone to find my way. I've noticed an improvement in my navigation skills, but why is that?
[...] While some people are naturally better at navigating, it's like a lot of things in life-you just need practice. GPS is like training wheels on a bike. They certainly make it easier to ride the bike, but you don't have to practice balancing. When the training wheels come off, you go down.
If you never navigate without the help of GPS, you're building up a reliance on it. The more you use it, the more you need it. That's why it's important to ditch the GPS from time to time and navigate on your own terms. Maybe you get lost more often, but even that is a great learning experience.
Related journal article:
L. Dahmani, V.D. Bohbot. Habitual use of GPS negatively impacts spatial memory during self-guided navigation [open]. Sci Rep 10, 6310 (2020). https://doi.org/10.11598-020-62877-0
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