Can a person develop an internal compass?

Question

I get lost or disoriented inside buildings and also when driving. I can't tell which direction I'm travelling. Aren't we supposed to have an inner compass?

Answer 1

As a back-packer, international traveler, tourist, etc. from experience look around you when you travel. If I am back packing in the woods, I always look behind me to see where I am I have just come from. So on the way back I recognize the landmarks.

I notice people who look at their feet or just look straight ahead. Constantly look around you and try to remember the sights, sounds, and smells. It is amazing how easy it is to remember the direction and where something is based on the smell (either a good smell or bad smell)

Constantly, try to ask yourself which direction North is. Look for a landmark that doesn't move for a reference point or where the sun is at that time of day. In places like California and Colorado where there is a mountain range this is easy. Around Philadelphia (outside of the city) it is impossible to tell where North is due to no high landmarks and the winding roads, so even men use GPS's.

Knowing the Sun is farther North in the Summer and more South in the Winter helps. Remember the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Note which direction the Sun sets and rises on June 21 and December 21, on these days it will be due East and West.

Answer 2

I'm a guy. I will read a map to go somewhere like I see the men doing and have an innate interest in geography that seems subconscious. I don't think of it much, but I suppose it relates to wanting to travel. I always want to know where north is and my orientation to the entrance while in a building. What I think is most interesting is them saying we have a social compass in our intuition that we may or may not develop. It's sort of a social, reality compass we don't use too much, as you may have noticed. It's supposed to come with the DNA and we fill in the model with experience and a wide range of knowledge. So many only have an interest in a few things instead of all the major categories of information so it doesn't get developed properly.

Answer 3

I heard an interesting theory on this subject. Supposedly, men stop less often than women to ask for directions when travelling. It is said that this is due to a higher level of iron in the blood which, along with the earth's magnetic field, gives men an "internal compass" superior to that of women.

As for me, I'm a guy who can get lost by just turning around. :)

Answer 4

Play games like Wolfenstein Castle, Doom etc... You will develop a strong sense of orientation.