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Feel like you’re walking in circles? You might be…

By The World ⋅ August 21, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment
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Orientation in the Sahara Desert, TunisiaA new study by scientists in Germany has confirmed that when people get disoriented in the woods or other natural environments, they really do tend to walk in circles. The researchers sent volunteers into a German forest and the Sahara Desert and tracked their movements with a GPS. When the hikers had no visible sun or distant landmark to guide them, they circled back on themselves while thinking they were walking in a straight line. David Baron reports on this newly published study.

Click here for a large Google Earth image of “walking in circles”

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Discussion

3 comments for “Feel like you’re walking in circles? You might be…”

  • Leonard

    The tendency to circle was well established in the ’30s by several university studies. Trackers often use a person’s dominant tendency to predict their probable path. Most people are right dominant (unrelated to right/left handedness)and the circling tendency is greater under psychological stress. The circling tendency has two components: asymmetrical stride and an instinctive tendency to turn or to go around some oject consistently on the same side. A simple test is to start at a football field goal post and with eyes shut attempt to walk through the opposite goal post. Most people don’t make it to the 50 yd. line. Primitive people walk single file and one of the reasons is that it allows the rear person to sight through the group and correct the lead person for circling drift when there are no orientation aids. The Germans would have saved themselves some effort if they’d read Harold Gatty’s book on navigation. (He was Wiley Post’s navigator.) Circling can be offset to a degree by couterweighting, i.e. carrying a rifle or other weight opposite the dominant side. By the way, the tree moss idea doesn’t work. Moss grows on the WET side of the tree and rarely coincides with a particular orientation. The prairie “Compass” flower is a different matter.

  • adam

    Leonard’s comments are right on the money. I was hoping the story would delve into more of the reasons for the circling. The majority of people I have studied as a tracker are right footed if they are right handed and the same for the left side.

    The dominance plays a role because just as we are more comfortable using our dominant hand to work with we also use our dominant feet to walk with. Test this for yourself, stand on one foot. Do this with each foot for about one minute. Which foot was more comfortable and easier to stand on? It was most likely the same side foot as your dominant hand.

    The body wants to spend more time putting it’s wheight and balance on the easier to use and more comfortable dominant foot. The more time one spends with that foot on the ground, the more time the other foot spends in the air in between steps. A longer stride on the non-dominant side creates a tendency to deviate one’s course by as much as several degrees with each step when visual aids are not available to correct the course.

    By wieghting the non-dominant side hand with something such as a handbag or small pack, you can compensate by forcing the body to spend more time on the non-dominant side. Another method used by indigenious peoples for eons is to create a story about the landscape being traveled across if it is not familiar to you. The act of story telling creates mental pathways that help in recalling those objects should you pass by them again.

    Yet another method of lost proofing oneself is to study the natural history of an area before venturing there. Being able to recognise plants, animal trails, and subtle terrian features for what they are gives a person a percieved sense of belonging, of familiarity. The comfort level aids in keeping the body relaxed and freeing the mind to work on some of the more complex issues and details of route finding when lost.

  • elly

    Impressive and I really see myself as one of them people who tend to walk in circles, its not a good thing. Let me recommend to readers who are into walking to check out the walking company for all their shoe shopping needs.