Study Indicates That Reliance On GPS Directions May Diminish Brain Capacity

Wonder what autonomous driving will do.

It may diminish brain capacity in the same way that reliance on a smartphone's contact list diminishes brain capacity as compared to memorizing phone numbers.

Did you know that in medieval times, it was not uncommon for a shopkeeper to memorize the store's entire inventory of over a thousand items? They had to, due to widespread illiteracy. Once literacy became common, they could just write that stuff down. So is anyone arguing that medieval people had greater "brain capacity" than today's average humans, or that they were smarter? Nope. They just did things differently. In other words, they USED their brain a bit differently than we do now, as one might expect.

It can be argued that using a GPS allows a driver to focus more on situational awareness and safely operating the vehicle, rather than navigating an unfamiliar route. Without GPS, they have to:
(a) read printed instructions
(b) accurately determine their current location
(c) determine time/distance to next landmark
(d) scan for the next landmark
etc., etc.

And yeah, there are those few exceptional drivers who blindly follow GPS instructions... right through barricades and off the end of an under-construction bridge. Thankfully, there are very few of those. I don't believe the GPS is responsible for converting any Einsteins into these examples.

I have actually listened to my 19 year ask Google Maps where the closest Panda Express was... the route actually drove her 9 miles (past two other pandas) to get to one.

I was like, "I think I have a better way dear" and we drove to one 1.5 miles away. As we pulled up to it she said, "I have been to this one before"

It may be the quality of parental teaching has diminished to the point that children believe more in electronic gadgets than their parents. Just wondering.

There was a time when you determined which way was north by looking at the stars. Then came along the compass - and one could literally find north when the sun was shining! (Must be the work of the Devil).

Over the centuries - people have learned different things. Believe it or not - there was a time when people were TAUGHT that the earth was the center of the Universe - and everything else rotated around the earth. And they killed people for saying otherwise too.

What good would a GPS have been when the fastest Donkey could barely get you a few miles per day.? Today they have motorized carriages - and the Donkeys sit back and tell them where to go. Eventually - I predict!!! - you will not even need the donkeys to tell the carriages where to go - they will do that themselves! But people are not getting any worse - after all just look at who they elected president!

Darwin was right..."Use it or loose it!" Mankind is doomed!!!!!!!!!!!

Smart phones are making us all dumber. How many phone numbers, email addresses or appointments do you remember these days? Young people can't spell due to auto-correct and like texting has abbreviated everything. We don't read or research anything anymore we google it. All the media have gone leftard liberal and the sheeple are too "smart phone brain dead" to realize they are being brainwashed into the abyss by the propaganda of modern day socialism.

Bring back rotary phones, paper maps, floppy disks, 2400 baud interwebs and save the world!

When Ai hits its stride robots will posses all the skills, knowledge and where with all to become the master species knocking mankind off its perch. Machines will evolve while mankind withers.