# What causes someone to always get lost?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-someone-to-always-get-lost/788847
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 13, 2017, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-someone-to-always-get-lost/788847 "2017-06-13T09:06:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2017, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-someone-to-always-get-lost/788847/1 "2017-06-13T09:06:45Z")
My whole life I’ve always gotten lost easily, I got lost at least a dozen or more times growing up. When I would go into the woods by myself I would get lost everytime unless I followed a dog or someone’s voice. I could go inside of these woods a billion times but everytime it would seem like key landmarkers were further or closer than before. To elaborate on that, I also have a bad sense of time I guess. Things that happen months ago I’ll think happen weeks ago, but never vice versa I always underestimate how long ago events took place. Although I can have no sleeping regiment but when I know I need to wake up at a certain time I can do so. I could go weeks sleeping at random times, then when I need to wake up at 5am, even if I only have a few hours of sleep I still wake up at the time I know I need to.
Perhaps that doesn’t correlate but I can predict time good, it’s just keeping track of how long ago something happen that’s my problem. Very often when I’m driving I think a turn is coming up, or when I get over a hill there will be something there. Even though I drive the same roads everyday I still mess up my sense of where I’m at relative to other things. It’s a very strange thing that I’ve always noticed and been aware of, but I’m wondering if there’s some sort of psychology or mental illness behind it. What could possibly cause someone to get near hopelessly lost? I know where things should be, and I think if I flew in a helicopter I could remember the layout of the ground somewhat decent. But I just get lost so much people think I’m fucking with them and it makes me mad because I’m geniunely getting lost all the time.
Happens in video games as well. For example I can remember the layout of a zelda dungeon but when ti comes to navigating through the dungeon I’ll get lost even when it should be obvious where I was suppose to go.
---
### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2017, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-someone-to-always-get-lost/788847/2 "2017-06-13T10:24:31Z")
Some people just have a lesser ability to build mental maps than others. (Brain structures vary just like all other physical traits.) Weakness in mapping is IIRC sometimes linked with face blindness—do you have that? Do you have [aphantasia](https://www.facebook.com/notes/blake-ross/aphantasia-how-it-feels-to-be-blind-in-your-mind/10156834777480504/)?
---
### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2017, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-someone-to-always-get-lost/788847/3 "2017-06-13T11:36:59Z")
Here’s an extreme version of what you have:
> **[Getting Lost: A Newly Discovered Developmental Brain Disorder](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922135227.htm)**
>
> Researchers have recently documented the first case of a patient who, without apparent brain damage or cognitive impairment, is unable to orient within any environment. Researchers also believe that there are many others in the general population who...
Here’s a variety of such things, which may match what you have:
> **[Topographical disorientation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topographical_disorientation)**
>
> Topographical disorientation is the inability to orient oneself in one's surroundings, sometimes as a result of focal brain damage. This disability may result from the inability to make use of selective spatial information (e.g., environmental landmarks) or to orient by means of specific cognitive strategies such as the ability to form a mental representation of the environment, also known as a cognitive map. It may be part of a syndrome known as visuospatial dysgnosia.
> Topographical disorientat...
Here’s a bunch of people discussing similar problems:
[https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-58770,00.html](https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-58770,00.html)
Here’s a medical discussion of it:
> **[Where Am I? Why Some People Have A Bad Sense Of Direction And How They Can...](https://www.medicaldaily.com/sense-direction-where-am-i-get-lost-378977)**
>
> Medical Daily takes a look at what makes people bad at directions, and if there's anything they can do to better find their way.
You might want to discuss this with some sort of doctor.