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You either have it, or you don’t—a sense of direction, that is. But why is it that some people could find their way across the Sahara without a map, while others can lose themselves in the next street?

Scientists say we’re all born with a sense of direction, but it is not properly understood how it works. One opinion is that people with a good sense of direction have simply worked harder at developing it. Scientists from Liverpool University are carrying out a research that supports this idea and suggests that if we don’t use it, we lose it.

“Children as young as seven have the ability to find their way around,” says Jim Martland, Research Director of the project. “However, if parents don’t allow their children out alone or always take them everywhere by car, children never develop the skills.”

Jim Martland also advised that young people should train some skills to improve their sense of direction. He makes the following suggestions:

If you are using a map, turn it so it relates to the way you’re facing.

If you leave your bike in a strange place, put it near something like a big stone or a tree. Note landmarks on the way as you go away from your bike. When you return, go back along the same way.

Simplify(简化) the way of finding your direction by using lines such as streets in a town, small rivers, or walls in the countryside to guide you. Count your steps so that you know how far you have gone and note any landmarks such as tall buildings or hills which can help you to find out where you are.