I have ridden w London's black cabs many times over the years, and can confirm that they r geniuses. And also humble about tips as well, very appreciative! This is a great article to me!
As a postal clerk in 1990, depending on the route, we were required to learn 400 to over 1000 street addresses by carrier and key the mail through a letter-sorting machine (LSM) at 55 letters per minute accurately for 45 minutes each hour (15 minutes standing up pulling the mail down from the bins it was falling in) for 8 or more hours depending on mail volume. Or we keyed outgoing mail by zip, country, etc. at the rate of 55 letters per minute. In the middle of the night.
An extremely interesting article! I was aware of the basic fact that London taxi drivers possessed expanded brains through learning The Knowledge and using it every day, but the details given here are just fascinating.
Researchers have said that with aging, we loose neural pathways. But when you learn new things, you're building new neural pathways. So even losing some, you have others to compensate. Which is why they suggest as we retire, we learn a new language, etc. I think crossword puzzles and wordle only go so far. It's actually tackling new info that helps preserve our thinking. And don't forget about MOOC, the generally free online courses.
The neuroplasticity demonstrated by London taxi drivers is remarkable. What's particularly interesting is how 'The Knowledge' creates such measurable structural changes in the hippocampus. It makes you wonder if other professions requiring intensive spatial navigation - like delivery drivers or tour guides - might show similar cognitive benefits. The potential Alzheimer's protective effect is an unexpected bonus that really highlights how challenging our brains through complex memorization tasks can have lasting health impacts.
Alzheimer's is caused by diets rich in processed food and processed drinks, NOT by how much one uses his brain. Save yourself; whole-foods and water-only.
I can only imagine how the London taxi drivers who spent years acquiring The Knowledge will feel when GPS navigation devices make The Knowledge obsolete.
How do they know the cabbies don’t have enlarged hippocampus to begin with. Musicians are innately talented from a very early age. Many people pick up languages easily. This suggests that the studies may be putting the cab before the horse.
My Mother was a Transorma operator in the Silver Spring, Maryland, Main Post Office. The Transorma was a mail sorting machine that took an incoming stream of mail items, primarily letters, and directed them to bins for the appropriate mail delivery person.
In order to become a Transorma operator, my Mother had to memorize every street intersection and appropriate house numbers throughout the Silver Spring postal region. I am not sure how many items she had to memorize, but the book was enormous.
The machine would feed an item to the operator's console, and the operator would read the address and press a series of keys to direct it to the final delivery route. The operator was expected to maintain a rate of about 25 or 30 items per minute. There were 5 operator stations on the machine.
Fascinating!!!! Thanks
I have ridden w London's black cabs many times over the years, and can confirm that they r geniuses. And also humble about tips as well, very appreciative! This is a great article to me!
As a postal clerk in 1990, depending on the route, we were required to learn 400 to over 1000 street addresses by carrier and key the mail through a letter-sorting machine (LSM) at 55 letters per minute accurately for 45 minutes each hour (15 minutes standing up pulling the mail down from the bins it was falling in) for 8 or more hours depending on mail volume. Or we keyed outgoing mail by zip, country, etc. at the rate of 55 letters per minute. In the middle of the night.
Now they have letter-sorting machines.
Great!
An extremely interesting article! I was aware of the basic fact that London taxi drivers possessed expanded brains through learning The Knowledge and using it every day, but the details given here are just fascinating.
Very fascinating how us, humans, are built!
Researchers have said that with aging, we loose neural pathways. But when you learn new things, you're building new neural pathways. So even losing some, you have others to compensate. Which is why they suggest as we retire, we learn a new language, etc. I think crossword puzzles and wordle only go so far. It's actually tackling new info that helps preserve our thinking. And don't forget about MOOC, the generally free online courses.
The neuroplasticity demonstrated by London taxi drivers is remarkable. What's particularly interesting is how 'The Knowledge' creates such measurable structural changes in the hippocampus. It makes you wonder if other professions requiring intensive spatial navigation - like delivery drivers or tour guides - might show similar cognitive benefits. The potential Alzheimer's protective effect is an unexpected bonus that really highlights how challenging our brains through complex memorization tasks can have lasting health impacts.
“Humankind, the naked ape; it walks upright and is fastidiously enthralled with its own mind - a beast unlike any other kind upon this plain.”
From my Poem Ape.
Alzheimer's is caused by diets rich in processed food and processed drinks, NOT by how much one uses his brain. Save yourself; whole-foods and water-only.
I can only imagine how the London taxi drivers who spent years acquiring The Knowledge will feel when GPS navigation devices make The Knowledge obsolete.
How do they know the cabbies don’t have enlarged hippocampus to begin with. Musicians are innately talented from a very early age. Many people pick up languages easily. This suggests that the studies may be putting the cab before the horse.
My Mother was a Transorma operator in the Silver Spring, Maryland, Main Post Office. The Transorma was a mail sorting machine that took an incoming stream of mail items, primarily letters, and directed them to bins for the appropriate mail delivery person.
In order to become a Transorma operator, my Mother had to memorize every street intersection and appropriate house numbers throughout the Silver Spring postal region. I am not sure how many items she had to memorize, but the book was enormous.
The machine would feed an item to the operator's console, and the operator would read the address and press a series of keys to direct it to the final delivery route. The operator was expected to maintain a rate of about 25 or 30 items per minute. There were 5 operator stations on the machine.
Cabbies earn about £50,000 a year at best. Why would they sacrifice 3 years of their lives to learn The Knowledge, only to make a semi-decent living?