Question 1

How do London taxi drivers grow bigger brains?

Accepted Answer

London cab drivers spend years memorizing 25,000 streets to pass an exam called The Knowledge. This intense spatial learning physically enlarges the posterior hippocampus, the brain region responsible for navigation, through a process known as neuroplasticity.

Question 2

What part of the brain gets bigger in taxi drivers?

Accepted Answer

The posterior, or rear, portion of the hippocampus grows larger in London taxi drivers. Studies found that the longer a driver had worked, the larger this region tended to be, indicating the growth resulted from years of navigation experience.

Question 3

Does using GPS weaken your memory or brain?

Accepted Answer

Research shows the hippocampus goes quiet when people follow GPS instead of navigating themselves, and heavy GPS use is associated with weaker spatial memory. This is a correlation, not proof that phones shrink the brain, but the effort of finding your own way may still matter.

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The Cartographers of the Mind