Daily Podcast #30

Source 🎧

Improve your sense of direction - Life Kit

Sentences ✍️

1. And there is that old canard about how men have a better sense of direction than women, …
   • canard: A false or unfounded story or rumor, especially one that is deliberately misleading.
   • New sentence: I don’t believe that canard about her.
2. I plugged the address into my phone.
   • plug: To input or enter data (such as an address) into a device.
   • New sentence: I tried not to forget the important information, so I plugged it into my phone.
3. It’s not out of the way on some hidden back street, it’s on a main strip.
   • strip: A main road lined with businesses, restaurants, or stores.
   • New sentence: I love that strip with all the dessert shops.
     
     

Summarization 👀

Many people struggle with a poor sense of direction and often rely on GPS, but experts say this is a skill that can be improved with practice. Spatial anxiety, or the stress of feeling lost, is a real phenomenon studied by researchers like Mary Hagerty at UC Santa Barbara. To reduce spatial anxiety and strengthen navigation skills, it helps to challenge yourself—like purposely getting lost or taking unfamiliar routes. Outdoor specialist Benjiro suggests treating city walks like hikes: explore new paths and observe your surroundings. Using distant landmarks like mountains, tall buildings, or major highways can help with orientation, since their fixed positions give consistent directional cues. In addition to that, building personal connections or narratives around places and streets can boost memory and help you build a “cognitive map” of your environment. Experts emphasize the importance of being the decision-maker when navigating instead of passively following directions, as it strengthens your mental map. Paying attention to street patterns and junction layouts also improves your spatial understanding. Another helpful trick is to turn around occasionally and look at where you came from, which helps you recognize familiar places from different angles. Finally, curiosity and exploration—not speed and efficiency—are key to improving your internal sense of direction and becoming more confident while navigating.