Car satnavs dull brains

MANY drivers have blamed their satnav for leading them into embarrassing mishaps – all because the persuasive electronic voice overrode common sense.

Now research has shown the devices “switch off” the parts of the brain we use to navigate. Choosing our own route works the brain in a way that does not happen when we are following orders, the study at the University of London found.

When volunteers found their own way in a computer simulation, their brains showed stimulation, while satnav followers did not.