Comment by gspencley | Hacker News Reader

Comment by gspencley | Hacker News Reader

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> Unfortunately though it may not be such an exaggeration after all. It's probably too early to say, but there is definitely mounting evidence that some of these useful tools are literally, genuinely rotting our brains.

> https://www.fatherly.com/news/gps-google-maps-cognitive-decl...

I think you may have fallen into a bit of confirmation bias there. The article you linked to words itself like so:

"According to research published in the journal PLOS One, navigating with a map and compass might help stave off cognitive decline and symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s Disease."

This means that the study found that there may be positive benefits to cognitive health when one routinely engages in navigation related activities using a compass and a map.

That is a very very VERY different statement than: "Using Google Maps causes cognitive decline."

In order to demonstrate any kind of causality between using Maps and cognitive decline, you would have to start with an additional premise that everyone engaged in navigation using a compass and map on such a regular basis that the switch represents a switch to a less healthy lifestyle.

I think that statement is specious at best.

I'm old enough to remember living without Google Maps. And the amount of time that I reached for a paper map and a compass was so infrequent that Google Maps represented something new for me more than it represented something different. That is to say, it wasn't replacing something I did regularly so much as it gave me a reason to start using any kind of a "map" in the first place.

Most people I know would say the same thing. We had some maps skills when we needed them ... but we tried to avoid needing them more often than not.

So yeah, the study might have merit. But I don't think it suggests what you think it suggests.

> I think you may have fallen into a bit of confirmation bias there. The article you linked to words itself like so:

> This means that the study found that there may be positive benefits to cognitive health when one routinely engages in navigation related activities using a compass and a map.

> That is a very very VERY different statement than: "Using Google Maps causes cognitive decline."

It is a different statement, but it is not a giant logical leap. The two statements are connected by a pretty rational extrapolation. That said, I'm not suggesting this study is claiming anything like that, just that there is growing evidence that these things might be bad for our brain health, and studies like this are part of it.

However, it's going to be really, really hard to prove that something like Google Maps is ultimately responsible for cognitive decline. In fact, I think saying that would be a step too far. However, when you combine many of these tools, like calculators, AI autocomplete, and GPS navigation together, I definitely think there is a stronger case that it is not good for our brain health, but I doubt it'll be easy to make a case for that using actual data, and I don't expect such a study to come around soon (and even if it did, I'm not sure people would feel enticed to trust it anyways.)

> I'm old enough to remember living without Google Maps. And the amount of time that I reached for a paper map and a compass was so infrequent that Google Maps represented something new for me more than it represented something different. That is to say, it wasn't replacing something I did regularly so much as it gave me a reason to start using any kind of a "map" in the first place.

I'm surprised. I thought all of us who lived before Google Maps were using Map Quest, at least for a few years. That's what I was doing. Before Map Quest, when I was growing up, we definitely did try to avoid paper maps as much as possible, but it was frequently necessary to go somewhere we didn't already know how to get to, so it wasn't unusual to have to get directions and navigate using a map.

Anyhow, I'm sure everyone experiences life differently here, but I think not needing to navigate very often is definitely something I would've considered a luxury.

I am the MapGuy(TM). I had paper maps of every destination and triptix from AAA. I would fly with a pocket Rand McNally Road Atlas and be able to identify where we were from features on the ground. I still do it but I use a GPS. I don't trust them so I still check maps before I use a GPS in unfamiliar areas. I find badly optimized routes 5% of the time and outright mistakes 1%.

I was the one who got people unlost when they got them selves lost because they did not listen to the map geek.

I hope this gives me at least 30 more years before mental decline starts. That will get me to my late 90's.

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