Why do people get lost even when maps are accurate?
Getting lost begins when expectation stops matching reality.
People get lost not because maps are wrong, but because expectations about what should appear next fail, breaking internal navigation confidence.
Navigation depends less on maps and more on expectation. The brain continuously predicts what should appear after each step or turn.
When those predictions fail repeatedly, the internal model becomes unreliable.
Micro-case: A tourist walks expecting a metro entrance after two blocks. When it does not appear, the entire area suddenly feels unfamiliar.
Aha moment: what breaks is not direction, but confidence in interpretation.
Second-order effect: once uncertainty begins, people rely more on crowds, signage, or movement patterns, which can sometimes reinforce wrong assumptions.
What changes first is not geography — it is belief in prediction.
