Sorry to be the bearer of tired stereotypes, but scientists believe men have better navigational skills than woman.
Our male ancestors’ desire to spread their seed further afield, and thus reduce inbreeding, meant they developed a keener sense of direction than their female counterpart, research suggests.
Academics at the University of Utah devised the theory after studying the traditions of the Twe and Tjimba tribes in Namibia, southern Africa.
The tribesmen will over walk upwards of 120 miles to find potential partners in other communities.
Men who did better in map-reading tests set by anthropologists had not only travelled further, they also had children with more women, according to the study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour.
‘Navigation ability facilitates travelling longer distances… and the farther you travel, the more likely you are to encounter new mating opportunities,’ said researcher Layne Vashro
Vashro also added that the most intrepid travellers often had more children.
But then it’s ‘what you would expect if mating was the pay-off for travel,’ he added.
