#534: How Navigation Makes Us Human
The Art of Manliness14 Aug 2019

#534: How Navigation Makes Us Human

If you're like most people these days, you probably rely on the turn-by-turn directions given by a smartphone app to navigate to where you want to go. While Google Maps has certainly made getting around a lot more convenient, my guest today makes the case that by relying on GPS to navigate, we're turning our backs on a skill that makes us uniquely human.

Her name is Maura O'Connor, and she's a journalist and the author of Wayfinding: The Science and Mystery of How Humans Navigate. We begin our conversation discussing what goes on in our brain when we navigate and how we use the same part of the brain that we use for memory when we're getting around town. We then discuss how human navigation differs from animal navigation and the cultural tools that humans have developed over millennia to help them find their way, including storytelling and songs. Maura then shares research that suggests our language influences our sense of location and space and how our ancient ancestors sowed the seeds of the scientific method when they were tracking animals while hunting. We also discuss recent research that suggests relying too heavily on GPS may increase your risk for dementia and be linked to other mental health problems. We end our conversation by musing on how it is that using GPS can shrink your sense of autonomy, while navigating on your own feels existentially empowering.

Get the show notes at aom.is/wayfinding.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episoder(1160)

Episode #16: Conquering Debt with J.D. Roth of Get Rich Slowly

Episode #16: Conquering Debt with J.D. Roth of Get Rich Slowly

Welcome back to another episode of The Art of Manliness Podcast! In this week's edition we talk to J.D. Roth, founder of the personal finance blog, Get Rich Slowly. Money Magazine named Get Rich Slowl...

3 Apr 201421min

Episode #15: Man Stories with Kasper

Episode #15: Man Stories with Kasper

Welcome back to another edition of the Art of Manliness podcast. This week we return to our series called Man Stories where we interview a different gentleman and ask him what it means to be a man. Th...

3 Apr 201420min

Episode #14: Men to Boys and the Making of Modern Immaturity

Episode #14: Men to Boys and the Making of Modern Immaturity

Welcome back to the Art of Manliness Podcast! In this week's episode we interview Dr. Gary Cross, author of the book Men to Boys: The Making of Modern Immaturity. We discuss the history behind the tre...

3 Apr 201423min

Episode #13: Man Stories with Liam Strain

Episode #13: Man Stories with Liam Strain

Welcome back to the Art of Manliness Podcast! In this episode we return to our series called "Man Stories" where every other week we interview a different gentleman and ask him what it means to be a m...

3 Apr 20149min

Episode #12: Interview With Santa Claus

Episode #12: Interview With Santa Claus

Welcome back to the Art of Manliness podcast. This week we bring you a special holiday edition of the Art of Manliness podcast with a very special guest: Santa Claus! Or at least a guy who works as Sa...

3 Apr 201417min

Episode #11: Badasses with Ben Thompson

Episode #11: Badasses with Ben Thompson

Welcome back to another episode of The Art of Manliness Podcast! In this edition we talk to Ben Thompson, author of the new book, Badass: A Relentless Onslaught of the Toughest Warlords, Vikings, Samu...

3 Apr 201419min

Episode #10: Man Stories with Carlos Infante

Episode #10: Man Stories with Carlos Infante

Welcome back to another episode of The Art of Manliness podcast! We took a short break because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but we're back with another edition of Man Stories. In this episode we talk ...

3 Apr 201418min

Episode #9: Wayne Levine and BetterMen.org

Episode #9: Wayne Levine and BetterMen.org

Welcome back to another edition of The Art of Manliness podcast! In this episode we talk to Wayne Levine. Wayne is the founder of BetterMen.org where he offers mentoring for men and facilitates men's ...

3 Apr 201421min

Populært innen Fakta

fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
mikkels-paskenotter
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
foreldreradet
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
treningspodden
jakt-og-fiskepodden
rss-bisarr-historie
rss-kull
takk-og-lov-med-anine-kierulf
rss-sunn-okonomi
fryktlos
sinnsyn
hagespiren-podcast
rss-kunsten-a-leve
level-up-med-anniken-binz
gravid-uke-for-uke
hverdagspsyken
rss-var-forste-kaffe