The sense of direction is not given to everyone. While some have no difficulty in making their way through uncharted territory, others, even assisted by a GPS, can wander for tens of minutes before reaching their destination.
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An international research team, co-directed by a CNRS researcher, therefore looked into the factors that influence its effectiveness. Its conclusions, published in the specialized journal Nature on March 30, 2022, indicate that “the orientation abilities of individuals are influenced by their geographical origin” (source 1).
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To reach an astonishing – and guilt-free – conclusion, the researchers compared the performance of nearly 400,000 people from 38 countries thanks to the video game Sea Hero Quest. This game, designed to study Alzheimer’s disease, requires finding your bearings on maps and memorizing routes to achieve the objectives of each level.
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Growing up in the countryside fosters a sense of direction
Scientists have discovered that people who grew up in the countryside generally have a better sense of direction than othersa characteristic particularly marked among people from Canada, the United States, Argentina or Saudi Arabia.
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They also observed that people who grew up in a city with complex topography (small intertwined streets, a heterogeneous road network, few straight lines, etc.) would also be better at locating oneself in space than the others. People who grew up in a city with a complex layout, like Paris or Prague, find their bearings better than those who grew up in a “squared” city like Chicago, for example.
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“These studies also show that people identify themselves better overall when confronted with topographies similar to those traveled during childhood : they orient themselves better over long distances if they come from a rural environment, and better on a grid plan if they grew up in a city at right angles” underline the scientists.
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