Rudyard Kipling did not quite say “Who knows England who only England knows?”, but the meaning is clear: no-one can hope to understand their own country until they have become familiar with other places. Only then, can they understand what makes their own land different and special. However, there is an alternative to prolonged travel abroad, and that is to learn from foreigners who have become familiar with our own land. There are of course reports and books by foreign journalists based in London, but the most interesting source of information comes from the blogs written mainly by expats about their daily lives in many different parts of England. These are conveniently gathered in the website Blog England, Expat England. Most are written by women, and include family photographs, recipes, and reports on family holidays and outings. But they also compare England with their country of origin and reflect on the differences.
The bloggers have chosen to live in this country, and are passionate about the beauty of its countryside, and the way in which ancient sites and history are packed into a small area. Those in London are fascinated by the mix of nationalities in the city, and the experience of living in what is probably the biggest collection of theatres in the world. American bloggers are puzzled by the different names for food in England, the small size of domestic appliances, and the problems navigating in a land where street names change at each junction and where city grids are almost entirely absent. But the particular, and almost insoluble, problem for many Americans is having to drive in a car with a steering wheel on the right and with manual gears.
Why should this prove so difficult? After all, a third of the world’s population live in countries which drive on the left, and most us in England adapt easily to driving in the other two-thirds. I think the reason for the particular problems experienced by Americans lies in how our brains adapts to daily mental exercises. There has been little research on how driving affects the brain, but a study over ten years ago found that London taxi drivers have a larger hippocampus (the part of the brain associated with navigation) than other people. Indeed, part of the hippocampus grew larger as the taxi drivers spent more time in the job. It is also possible that the layout of the car we drive may also affects how our brain operates.
Driving in the USA and Canada is a right-handed affair. The gear lever is hardly used in the automatic cars that are almost universal in these countries, and it is, in any case, to the right of the driver. There is no clutch for the left foot to use. North America is overwhelmingly right-handed when it comes to eating as well. Diners hold the food to the plate with the fork, and then cut a single bite-sized piece with the knife. The knife is then placed on the plate, the fork transferred from the left hand to the right hand, and used to bring the food to the mouth. The fork is then transferred back to the left hand and the knife is picked up with the right. This elaborate procedure seems to exist to ensure the main tasks in eating are performed only with the right hand, and to avoid the co-ordinated movement of knife and fork required by the usual European style of eating.
Even more left-right co-ordination is required in driving in Britain, Ireland and other places which drive on the left and use cars with manual gears. The left hand is frequently used to change gear and the left foot to press down on the clutch, while at the same time the right hand is used for steering and the right foot for the accelerator and brake. How does this affect our brains? Our brains are divided into two distinct hemispheres by a longitudinal fissure. The limbs on each side of our body are controlled by the opposite hemisphere. Driving (and eating) in left-hand drive countries requires a constant exchange of information and adjustment between both hemispheres. It has been found that the part of the brain connecting the two hemispheres (the corpus callosum) differs in shape between men and women, and is larger among occupational groups such as musicians. My hypothesis is that it will also differ between typical drivers in England and those in the USA. If so, it would explain why people from North America find it so hard to adjust to driving in England.
This could of course all be tested by neuroscience researchers, aided by large sums of research council funding. At least it would get them out of their labs and on to the road.
Expat blog England
The bloggers have chosen to live in this country, and are passionate about the beauty of its countryside, and the way in which ancient sites and history are packed into a small area. Those in London are fascinated by the mix of nationalities in the city, and the experience of living in what is probably the biggest collection of theatres in the world. American bloggers are puzzled by the different names for food in England, the small size of domestic appliances, and the problems navigating in a land where street names change at each junction and where city grids are almost entirely absent. But the particular, and almost insoluble, problem for many Americans is having to drive in a car with a steering wheel on the right and with manual gears.
Why should this prove so difficult? After all, a third of the world’s population live in countries which drive on the left, and most us in England adapt easily to driving in the other two-thirds. I think the reason for the particular problems experienced by Americans lies in how our brains adapts to daily mental exercises. There has been little research on how driving affects the brain, but a study over ten years ago found that London taxi drivers have a larger hippocampus (the part of the brain associated with navigation) than other people. Indeed, part of the hippocampus grew larger as the taxi drivers spent more time in the job. It is also possible that the layout of the car we drive may also affects how our brain operates.
Driving in the USA and Canada is a right-handed affair. The gear lever is hardly used in the automatic cars that are almost universal in these countries, and it is, in any case, to the right of the driver. There is no clutch for the left foot to use. North America is overwhelmingly right-handed when it comes to eating as well. Diners hold the food to the plate with the fork, and then cut a single bite-sized piece with the knife. The knife is then placed on the plate, the fork transferred from the left hand to the right hand, and used to bring the food to the mouth. The fork is then transferred back to the left hand and the knife is picked up with the right. This elaborate procedure seems to exist to ensure the main tasks in eating are performed only with the right hand, and to avoid the co-ordinated movement of knife and fork required by the usual European style of eating.
Even more left-right co-ordination is required in driving in Britain, Ireland and other places which drive on the left and use cars with manual gears. The left hand is frequently used to change gear and the left foot to press down on the clutch, while at the same time the right hand is used for steering and the right foot for the accelerator and brake. How does this affect our brains? Our brains are divided into two distinct hemispheres by a longitudinal fissure. The limbs on each side of our body are controlled by the opposite hemisphere. Driving (and eating) in left-hand drive countries requires a constant exchange of information and adjustment between both hemispheres. It has been found that the part of the brain connecting the two hemispheres (the corpus callosum) differs in shape between men and women, and is larger among occupational groups such as musicians. My hypothesis is that it will also differ between typical drivers in England and those in the USA. If so, it would explain why people from North America find it so hard to adjust to driving in England.
This could of course all be tested by neuroscience researchers, aided by large sums of research council funding. At least it would get them out of their labs and on to the road.
Expat blog England
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