• theneverfox@pawb.social
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    5 hours ago

    I think we use it, just not consciously. It’s not like knowing where north is helps much, but aligning your mental map of an area means a lot

    Have you ever come out of a forest or something not where you expected, then had a moment of disorientation before everything snaps into place and you realize exactly where you are?

    • fishos@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      Agreed. I think when most people hear “able to sense magnetic fields”, they think it means you can always point to North. It’s more like being able to feel temperature or proprioception(your ability to sense where your body is). I think it’s another dataset that gets added to our mental calculations, we just can’t pinpoint that exact “sense” and use it actively.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      I just got lost in a city while using Google Maps giving me walking directions. You are talking to the very wrong guy,