Why Strengthening Spatial Memory Matters as We Age

The convenience of GPS is undeniable. But what about its long-term cost to our cognitive faculties, particularly as we age? I've personally noticed how much less I rely on my internal compass, a skill that, before this technology, was essential for navigating my surroundings.

Our brains thrive on active engagement. A recent study (Attems et al., 2024) found that taxi and ambulance drivers exhibited a lower risk of dying from Alzheimer's disease compared to individuals in other professions. This strongly suggests that constant, real-time engagement of spatial and navigational skills may actively help maintain hippocampal health, potentially offering protection against neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's.

We often think of aging as a gradual decline, like a machine slowly wearing down. But these studies suggest that our spatial memory isn't just wearing down with age; it's actively atrophying from disuse. The decline isn't merely an inevitable consequence of time, but the brain willing to dismantle what it deems unnecessary.

I'll continue to use GPS. It's an invaluable tool for traffic, new destinations, or when I don't have time to experiment. But it can be helpful to intentionally incorporate practices that stimulate our spatial memory. Try planning a route to a new location without your phone, or simply take a different way home from work and pay close attention to new landmarks.

These small mental workouts can be a significant investment in building cognitive resilience and helping to ward off Alzheimer's and other cognitive issues as we age.