Why does it feel like you are facing east when you are actually facing west, after changing hemispheres?

Question

I have lived in Canada for 8 years after moving from New Zealand and it still feels like I am facing the wrong way. North feels like South and East feels like West etc. How can this be?

Answer 1

The human body is highly evolved to understand spatial relationships.  This is probably genetically encoded as it is so hard-wired that our body's knowledge of space can be very difficult to override even with the most intense of concentration or learned intelligence.

So, growing up in New Zealand, as your brain developed it mapped the space around it—to southern patterns (which are naturally clockwise).  Although it's very subtle, our bodies know the patterns of the sun, clouds, the wind... anything that moves in the space around us.  When you moved to Canada, now you're having to re-map your brain to northern patterns (which are naturally anti-clockwise).  The rotation of Earth and its patterns appears in the opposite direction as it did in the southern hemisphere.  Re-mapping your brain to this kind of thing is easier said than done.

In New Zealand, when facing the nearest pole (south pole), the rising sun is on your left, moves overhead more or less, and sets on your right.  In Canada, when facing the nearest pole (north pole) the rising sun is on your right, moves overhead more or less, and sets on your left.

This is why you're having difficulty re-mapping east-west and left-right spatial relationships in your brain.

I have traveled to the southern hemisphere only once, and I didn't have this problem.... except at night.  I didn't realize I unconsciously noticed the stars until I was wondering why they moved backward and I couldn't find familiar patterns.  Of course, this problem went away when I turned my head upside down.

Answer 2

Because you're standing upside down on the earth.

Answer 3

It feels upside down because you made the mistake of moving to Canada.

Answer 4

This is because the sun travels across the southern part of the sky in the northern hemisphere and the northern part of the sky in the southern hemisphere.

When you face the sun at midday in the northern hemisphere your right arm points west.

When you face the sun at midday in the southern hemisphere your right arm points east.

Answer 5

Your mind hasn't adapted yet

I know that sounded really nerdy but its true

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