How does your brain decide between the road not taken or the same old route? Resolving conflicting memories is key to navigation

Habit helps take the mental load off figuring out how to get somewhere. But relying on the familiar can make it harder to adapt to changes to your route and to find better ones.

By: Paulina Maxim, Georgia Institute of Technology, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: May 11, 2026

Words: 1,364

Last Updated: 2 months, 2 weeks ago

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By Paulina Maxim, Georgia Institute of Technology

When was the last time you paid attention to your commute? And I don’t mean a couple of feet in front of you, at the car merging into your lane without a blinker. I mean really paid attention to the route you take.

Did you see the landmarks in the distance that make up the city skyline? Did you drive right past the grocery store you promised to …

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