Overuse of GPS navigation shrinks part of the brain, says researcher

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On May 12, in Tobermory, Ont., a woman following her GPS drove straight into Georgian Bay. Police say the driver is fine, but GPS mishaps are becoming increasingly common with the expansion of satellite navigational systems.  

Access to GPS is ubiquitous, and according to navigation consultant Roger McKinlay, 80 per cent of the adult population worldwide is likely to own a smartphone by 2020.  

Speaking with The Current, McKinlay argues we are growing dependent on satellite navigation tools, which is all the more worrisome considering the fallibility of GPS: unreliable service indoors or in built-up areas, weak satellite signals, and the presence of hackers.  

We ought to regard, I think, some of the navigation skills as some traditional skills which is really worth having.- Navigation Consultant Roger McKinlay

Veronique Bohbot, McGill University professor and Douglas Hospital neuroscientist, elaborates on the negative impact GPS dependence can have on mental health.  

• 4 Pillars to a Healthy Cognition and a Healthy Hippocampus

"If we become dependent on it, it's proof we're not using a part of the brain involved in healthy cognition called the hippocampus," says Bohbot.

Technology writer and researcher Alexandra Samuel says we should be more mindful of how we use technology in general. "[We] take technology as it's handed to us and we use it as it unfolds, instead of thinking: what is the problem that I want to solve."

How reliant are you on GPS? Are you afraid you've lost your navigational skills?

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This segment was produced by The Current's Marc Apollonio.
 

Ever wonder what it would be like to what have actor Morgan Freeman tell you how to get on the highway and give you life advice from the console?