'If you're lost, turn your shirt inside out': Kuya Kim explains origin of folk belief

If you've ever gotten lost in the woods, you've likely been told to turn your shirt inside out to find your way again. Ever wondered the reason behind this folk belief?

On Friday's "24 Oras," Kuya Kim spoke to Prof. Nestor Castro, a cultural anthropologist, to help explain the origin of this Filipino superstition.

According to Castro, this has something to do with the belief that getting lost or disoriented is the work of engkanto or mythical beings.

"Dun pumapasok 'yung paniniwala na pinaglalaruan tayo, therefore paglaruan din natin 'yung diwata at ang paraan dun ay baliktarin ang suot na damit para hindi tayo makilala," he said.

It's not at all scientific, of course. Giuseppe Iaria, a neuroscientist at the University of Calgary, said that people get lost due to attention problems, memory problems, and perceptual problems.

Meanwhile, some people who easily get lost, even in familiar environments, have a condition called Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD).

In a film review for The Lancet, Iaria said DTD is a disabling lifelong disorder and people who suffer from it have difficulties forming cognitive maps. 

—MGP, GMA News