Most of us use our GPS to figure out how to get to a place we've never been before, especially if we're driving in a new, unfamiliar area. But if you use it too much, it can be a bad thing.
David Barrie is the author of a new book called Incredible Journeys that focuses on how different animals navigate, and he thinks using GPS too much could up your chances for problems...like Alzheimer's disease!
One of the first signs of Alzheimer's is feeling disoriented, because your hippocampus starts to shrink. That's the part of the brain that helps you learn new skills and form memories...it's also the part of the brain that helps you navigate, and remember directions.
The hippocampus can begin to degenerate even faster if you don't exercise that part of your brain enough.
In other words, when you always use GPS, you don’t have to remember how to get places. Basically, your brain is just like a muscle...if you don't use it, it starts to shrink.
At this point, it's just a theory. and more research needs to be done, ut you might want to turn your GPS off sometimes, just in case. And maybe try to remember how to get places every once in a while.
One of my good friends uses her GPS *everywhere*, even in places she's been familiar with for her entire life. We used to be roommates, and she'd literally turn on her GPS to get from our house to her job, which was about 1.5 miles away. I have a family member who lives about 4 minutes from me...she uses her GPS literally every time she comes to my house (I've lived in the same place for 4 years). I keep saying, if she'd turn off the GPS and just try to remember the street my house is on, she'd never need to enter the address into Google Maps again. Again, I'm not saying we should never use GPS... but if you're just driving in your own neighborhood, maybe just try to go from memory.