Interesting trip through the science and psychology of the way we navigate and at times fail to navigate the world around us.

Particularly interesting piece in chapter 10 on maps of cities with the neighbourhoods of London being mapped out in a whole new way.

Part investigation into the neuroscience that underpins the extraordinary ability humans have for finding their way, part love letter to nature and exploration. For me, there was an unevenness to the book due to the interdisciplinary approach taken by the author: I simply found the focus of certain chapters less interesting than that of others. Still, this is an important book in many ways, shining a light on a topic that too many of us overlook. The way we travel through the world, the way we map our cities, the way we develop a sense of place—it's all changed overnight and could have quite dramatic effects on our brain function and how we feel about our environment. Overall, a very readable book on a fascinating topic; even if, ironically, he did lose me from time to time.

Our world's are spatially complex and yet we manage to navigate through our close environment and to find ways to navigate the unknown. here bond explores the cognitive science behind our ability to remember routes and recognise landmarks, explaining how these abilities have helped humans develop as a species. Also he looks at what happens when we lose this ability and the distress it causes. Whilst heavy on the science, this is also a very deep book which looks at fundamental basics of need

A fascinating look at how we navigate (or often fail to navigate) the world around us.

The author presents some really interesting perspectives on how our wayfinding skills have developed, how this ties into our cognitive functions as humans and how we risk losing these skills due to an over-reliance on technology.

From early human wayfinding and how & why these skills first developed, to the inner working of the brains spatial systems, to wayfinding strategies used through to trying to understand why people get lost and how best to help them, the author covers a range of topics in a clear and concise way.

The author states that “Wise designers sculpt with desire, not against it.” and in this book, they have succeeded in showing this through their writing.

“There is still a world out there to explore, and we need to find a way through it.”

An enjoyable read as we all navigate our way through life.

As someone with quite a poor sense of direction I was intrigued to read Wayfinding. Written by science journalist Michael Bond. It takes you through every aspect of the science and psychology of knowing where you are and where you are going.

Bond begins with the innate processes in the brain that help us orientate (and those that can undermine us) – the role of the hippocampus and the cells which help us form cognitive maps. He considers how we learn to navigate, writing about how children first learn their sense of direction through exploration and improvisation. Sadly the more restricted lives of children now means they may not develop those skills.

Bond explains that the two main techniques people use for wayfinding are egocentric and spatial. The egocentric method means plotting a journey from where you are now, knowing, for example that you have to take the first left and the second right. Good navigators are more likely to take a spatial approach – they have a birds-eye view of a place. They are constantly alert to features in the landscape and their relation to each other.

Bond discusses the way wayfinding and memory interact – think of, say, memory palaces. We often store memories by thinking about the place where we were when we made them – not just that romantic beach holiday, but mundane ones. To remember where you put your keys, you might think back to where you were when you last had them. I also think that the sense of helpless incredulity I feel when I’m lost is similar to that when you lose an object – you no longer trust the evidence of your senses, convinced that inanimate objects are conspiring against you to not be where they should.

Loss of sense of place is a key feature of dementia. Evidence shows that for people with Alzheimer’s, loss of spatial awareness is detectable before memory loss. Bond suggests that the desire to wander shown by many people with dementia arises out of a feeling of being lost and trying to return to somewhere they can recognise, in much the same way as people who are literally lost do.

Our mental wellbeing and our sense of where we are in the world are inextricably bound. Many metaphors we use for our emotional state relate to location – lost, found, grounded, adrift, at home. We talk about close friends and distant relatives. There is also a suggestion that strengthening the connections in the brain that deal with wayfinding might be protective against dementia.

Emergency services and rescue teams have made use of the growing body of research on how people react when they are lost and where they go. One finding Bond cites is that when people panic, they have a tendency to keep walking. We can recognise that understandable desire to do something. What actually happens is they end up walking in circles. The advice from the experts is to stay in one place.

One story Bond describes is particularly moving. Gerry Largay went missing on the Appalachian Trail. She was an experienced walker who did everything right but sadly she was not rescued. Her body (and her journal giving an account of her final days) were only found two years later.

I found Wayfinding fascinating. It’s an accessible read for a non-scientist. The one part I found challenging was the section on the neuroscience, but it became clearer as I read the rest of the book – and I was interested enough to go back and read it again after I finished.

This book has actually changed my behaviour. I have made more of an effort to develop a spatial view on my lockdown walks, not just to appreciate interesting buildings or trees or gardens, but to take note of how they relate to each other. Once we are able to visit unfamiliar places again, I will hopefully become a better navigator, thanks to Wayfinding!
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I received a copy of Wayfinding from the publisher via Netgalley.

Real life story: once I got lost in a Chocó jungle, for about two hours (luckily they found me). I always felt bad for getting lost so easily, but this book made me understand that it is more common than one might think.

🗺 Wayfinding talks about the way we locate ourselves in space, from the Inuits to the most city dwellers. It talks about the strategies we use to find our way, how our brain remembers where we have been, and how it reads the environment. It talks about the relationship between Alzheimer's, language, and spatial location, and why it’s important to let children wander aimlessly.

🗺 My favorite part is the explanation of how our hypothalamus processes spatial information (and how relying too much on Waze is not a good idea). I loved reading book after “Finding Venus” (review pending), because it is amazing to know that even city-dwellers have the potential to become great explorers.