Satnav switches off the brain

MANY drivers have blamed their satnav (satellite navigation system) for leading them into embarrassing mishaps.

Some have driven off piers into the sea or been stranded on beaches because the persuasive voice of the satnav overrode common sense.

And now research has shown that the handy devices do indeed “switch off” the parts of the brain we use to navigate.

Choosing our own route works the brain in a way that simply does not happen when we are following orders, the study found.

University of London researchers monitored 24 volunteers as they navigated a computer simulation of Soho while their brains were scanned.

Two brain areas were focused on, the hippocampus, which relates to memory, and the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in planning. When the volunteers tried to find their own way, rather than using a satnav, activity spiked in both areas as they entered new streets, the researchers found.

By contrast, when the volunteers followed instructions on where to go, similar to following a satnav or a smartphone app, the brain showed no additional activity.

Dr Christopher Connolly, a neuroscientist at the University of Dundee, said it was not necessary to stop using satnavs. He said we should instead “engage our brains and bodies in a variety of different tasks that promote our happiness and health”. – Daily Mail