Kort Explores conundrums of the human condition

According to countless frustrated spouses, comedians, and pundits hard up for an idea to fill yet another column, men seem to suffer from an irrational resistance to stopping to ask for directions when lost in strange territory. This alleged flaw in the male psyche has been so widely reported for so long that there must be some substance to the allegation. That this trait is shared by most if not all men, and has proven so resistant to the attempted behavior modifications and downright nagging of so many women suggests a genetic predisposition.

The prevalence and persistence of this behavior would seem to indicate there must be an evolutionarily valid reason for this much maligned aspect of men - other than to provide material for legions of comedians and feminist male-bashers. While they may not want to admit it today, women down through the ages have had a major hand in encouraging this trait in men.

Today we live within a popular perception of safe travel that is unique in the history of man, and not even universally true in our time. Those who seek to criticize men for their reluctance to ask directions can only do so from the assumption that the act of asking is today a risk free undertaking. This has not been a "safe" assumption during most of human history.

To appreciate the valid function of this trait we must consider the world in which most of human evolution occurred. We must also consider the differences in mental functioning between men and women that evolved from their different traditional roles.

Glucose uptake studies indicate that in general women use both hemispheres of their brains when engaged in social interactions. Men use only one hemisphere for social interactions while reserving their other hemisphere for a greater spatial understanding of their environment.

In a traditional hunter gatherer society, the women and children gathered while the men hunted. Gatherers seek relatively stationary food supplies, and are likely to use verbal communications to inform others in the tribe how to reach the location and help with the harvest. When stalking the wild berry bush the gatherer has little fear that the bush will bolt for cover. Only the route between the bush and the camp is of critical importance. As such, the gatherer has limited need for a comprehensive spatial understanding of the area, while enhanced social interaction skills provide substantial benefits in group harvesting activities and running the household.

Hunters need a greater spatial understanding of their surroundings. Since the behaviors of their prey are heavily influenced by the terrain, the stalking hunter needs to know not only his own location and the location of the prey, but also the nature of the area in which the prey will be found. Hunting parties typically rely on the shared experience of the members along with limited nonverbal communications to coordinate their efforts, using as little verbal communications as possible since any noise could spook the game.

Stopping and asking directions would be a meaningless exercise for prehistoric hunters. Hunting tends to be an undertaking where only the first hunters on the scene have any opportunity. After the first hunters do their thing, the game is either dead or long gone. So by definition if there is someone available of whom directions can be asked, it's no longer worth going. Success as a hunter required being able to find your own way. Down through most of humanity's evolutionary past, women have selected as fathers of their children those men who appeared to possess the best skills as a hunters, men who were genetically adapted to not asking directions.

Even after mankind began to wear the robes of civilization, asking directions was often a dubious undertaking. Most people never ventured more than a couple miles from their birthplace. Those few who did any traveling at all were obliged to be cautious. Preying on travelers was a time honored tradition in many areas. Only someone who was a stranger in the area would ask directions, and in many places that was an invitation to disaster. It was usually safer for travelers to wander round lost for a considerable length of time rather than risk drawing attention to themselves by asking directions.

In the past travelers wandering lost in the wilderness were considered intrepid explorers and lauded as heros. How could there have been an age of discovery if men asked directions and accurately navigated to only those known locations they intended to visit? Only by accidentally making enough wrong turns and doggedly proceeding with great conviction far enough in the wrong direction can one discover that which is by definition unknown.

A fair case can be made that men created maps so they wouldn't have to ask directions. The great voyages of discovery were launched specifically to plot the world and fill in the gaps in the maps, the tremendous risks justified by the desire of men to eliminate any areas where they might be obliged to ask directions. The relentless pursuit of ever more effective navigational technologies followed logically from the same motivations. Accurate maps have allowed men to venture into every corner of the globe without stopping to ask directions, blazing the trail for modern technological civilization to follow along behind them. Our modern global community could be said to have evolved largely in response to the reluctance of men to ask directions.

So before denigrating men for possessing a trait that seems out of place in our modern partly civilized world, remember that this world that makes men seem out of place is largely a direct result of that very trait. Remember also that we are poised on the brink of becoming a space faring species. There aren't any convenient gas stations out there in space at which to stop and ask directions. In space we will once again need those men who can find their own way - even if they often don't end up where they thought they were headed.