If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else. ~ Alfred Adler
Hard to argue with that, given the nonsensical proposition. However, I can verify that if you don’t know how to get where you’re going, your target will not materialize. Well, it won’t materialize absent divine intervention, and I should know. I have the directional instincts of a homing pigeon with a head cold flying in an overcast sky. Some people aren’t as skilled in this area as others. Can it be learned?
Is a Tendency to Being Lost Genetic?
Before I get too far into the woods, pun intended, I will admit to the possibility of confirmation bias, given my presumably innate inability to find my way around without a border collie. Sadly, I didn’t have the opportunity to confront ambiguity during my research, so my biases don’t matter. I did not find anything to support my theory. Instead, credible sources suggest I may be at the mercy of my early environment.
The Smithsonian* is one of the sources that doesn’t fit my preconceived narrative. I was hoping for a cognitive capacity issue, but I’ll take what I can get. Here’s what I found in their April 18, 2024, article. Researchers developed a gaming app to determine demographic patterns of spatial intelligence. The goal was to find particular points, much like a treasure hunt, but completed in sequential challenges. Participants provided details that ultimately reflected clues to how their abilities, or lack thereof, might have been shaped. The outcomes are not surprising for those who have considered this conundrum previously, without bias. I, however, was deeply disappointed. Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-do-some-people-always-get-lost-180984152/
Great Expectations
If this study is credible, and it should be, with over 4,000,000 participants worldwide, the environment in which one operates plays a robust role in navigational abilities. I was hoping it was solely a function of wiring, and totally out of my control. Sadly, the answer appears to be a negative on that front. Here’s what they found:
- Those raised where orienteering (a combination of cross-country running and navigation) is popular tend to have high spatial intelligence. Think Nordic countries.
- A similar result occurred for people who grew up in areas where there are fewer directional cues. So, those raised in rural settings or in cities without orderly grids had better success with the game than those who didn’t.
Consider the difference between Indianapolis and the Atlanta metro area, ignoring population differences. Indy has a nice grid and few geographical impediments, such as rivers and hills. Atlanta, however, has more of a spread and fewer streets with a 90° angle (SO many curvy roads), plus the Chattahoochee bobbing in and out with associated bridges. Off topic, but the number of streets named Peach-something doesn’t help. Time spent in cities and other locales where routes aren’t obvious can play critical roles in developing navigational abilities.
Another comment in the article mentioned the adage that men are always better at finding their way than women. That might be true, but if so, it is likely due to the differences in experience and cultural norms rather than the gender factor.
So Where Do I Go from Here?
Before I answer that question, allow me to interject my opinion on abilities. After all this, I am not convinced that natural aptitude doesn’t play a part. I can read music, but I am not a musician. I will never have the talent that some of my friends display, no matter how much time I spend at a keyboard or on a dulcimer. On the flip side, some tasks that come quite easily to me create headaches for others. I’m not sure what those tasks would be besides spelling, but you see what I mean.
I’m not saying old dogs can’t learn old tricks, but this particular dog isn’t motivated. I have my highly intelligent husband who has superior spatial intelligence, and I have GPS. My volunteer gig that’s the farthest away from home offers a one-way loop, which makes it almost impossible to get lost. Well, I could get lost if I hit the trails, but I don’t do that without one of two spectacularly patient friends who let me tag along for adventures. They know the way, ergo, I don’t need to. You say that one day I may have that need? Yes, that’s possible, but I won’t cram for that contingency until and unless it becomes a necessity.
I have been a passenger in your car many miles. Considering those miles i have not seen many of your wrong turns. Where i live the directions are all mixed up to me. The sun comes up wrong and sets in the wrong place. Interesting observation
If I didn’t have GPS on my phone, your experience with me would be very different. And I, too, get quite lost in your neck of the woods.
I have given very little thought to maps or directions. Before everything was on the phone, there was a Marge, or JoAnn or Mandy to look it up and print it out for me….then there was my driver, Graham, of course. Then Susie who has the added feature of telling me where to go and how to get there. Shortly after retirement about 25 years ago, I decided to take a motorcycle ride from Austin to Acapulco, Mx. I used a compass and kept the bike south to south west until there were road signs. I had no schedule and only wanted to see the countryside. If you do not know or care where you are going, any road will take you there.
That raises another issue. Not all who are lost find it to be a problem. Perhaps I’m just unnecessarily anxious, or maybe too worried that I’ll be late. 😉