A new study shows that when we follow GPS navigational instructions, the parts of our actual brains that normally perform navigation remain quiet.
The findings show that “you delegate the task of navigation to your GPS, and you merely follow the directions, which is a demanding task, but perhaps not as demanding as actual route planning,” said the study at the University of Kent in the U.K.
This might mean that, over time, humans will get worse and worse at using their brains for path finding,