好像有点…“路痴”？怎么提升方向感？

How to Improve Your Sense of Direction

如何提高你的方向感

How do we find our way around? 我们如何找到路呢？

According to scientists, people tend to navigate in one of two ways — spatial or egocentric — although the two approaches can be used interchangeably. Spatial navigators see the bigger picture and always know where they are in relation to key landmarks and compass points. They're constantly building and retaining mental maps. So not only will they be able to find their way from A to B today, but they'll be ready to repeat the journey another time.

据科学家所言，人们倾向于用一或两种方式导航，空间导航或是个人记忆，虽然这两种方法可以互相转换。空间导航看见大大的图像，而且与关键地标和定位点关联让人们随时可知身处何地。他们经常在构建和维系心中的地图。所以，今天不仅他们能够发现从A到B的路径，还能在日后重复这段旅程。

Egocentric navigators, meanwhile, tend to rely on detailed directions and local landmarks to break a journey into instalments: walk 200 metres, turn left at the post office, and so on... One problem with learning a route by heart in this way, however, is that you can come unstuck if a road is closed or a landmark is no longer there.

然而，个人记忆导航倾向于依靠准确方向和现场路标让一段旅程变得支离破碎，走200米，在邮局左拐等等。但是，靠这种方式用心记下路线，有个问题是，如果道路关闭或者路标不在那里了，你就抓瞎了

Helpfully, the hippocampus — the part of the brain associated with navigation — expands to accommodate our mental maps. Yes, you can improve your sense of direction. You just need to work at it.

有益的是，海马体——大脑中与导航相关的部分——可以扩展至适应我们的思维地图。没错，你只需要努力就能提高你的方向感。

Why Sat Nav isn't the answer ？为什么卫星导航不是答案呢？

Nowadays, of course, it's tempting to rely on GPS rather than commit a long, complicated route to memory. But if you really want to improve your sense of direction, it's a good idea to put the Sat Nav away. In a University of Nottingham study, drivers who'd followed step-by-step GPS instructions found it harder to work out where they'd been and even failed to notice they'd been past some places twice from different angles.

诚然，现在依靠GPS而非凭借记忆规划漫长复杂的路线，这是大势所趋。但是，如果你真的要提高方向感，把空间导航放在一边是个好主意。在诺丁汉大学的一项研究中，亦步亦趋跟着GPS导航的司机发现，难以发现自己去过哪儿，甚至忽视从不同角度已经通过某地两次。

Studying a larger map and memorising the route before you set out, on the other hand, does have its benefits — not least because the amount of mental energy it requires means it's more likely to stick in your mind. Looking at Google Maps on a big screen — or even studying a paper map — also allows you to get a sense of that all-important bigger picture and how everywhere fits together.

另一方面，在你出发之前研究大比例尺地图和回忆路线，确有好处，至少所要求的心智程度意味着它更有可能符合你的想法。看着大屏幕上的谷歌地图，甚或研究纸质地图，也能让你获得宏观感，和每个地方如何融合在一起。

Finally, try to relax when you're on unfamiliar ground. It's all too easy to panic if you suspect you may be lost — but this sudden burst of anxiety will only increase your cognitive load and prevent you from calmly working out which way to go. Besides, getting lost is one of the best ways to discover new places and add more detail to that ever-growing mental map — both of which will help you become a better navigator in the long term.

最后，当身处陌生环境时试着放轻松。如果你怀疑自己可能迷路就很容易引起恐慌，但是这种突然爆发的担忧只会增加你认知负担，并阻碍你平静地选择采取哪种方式。此外，迷路是发现新大陆，并且给壮大中的心中地图增加更多细节的最佳方式，从长远来看，上述两方面会帮助你变成一个更好的导航仪。