Bringing suspense into animated films was an impossible task, but Pixar hit the nail on the head with Inside Out 2.

We already knew this Anxiety will play a significant role in Inside Out 2, but it was difficult to imagine how well it would be presented. Pixar He did it again. He managed to describe the functioning of the human mind as simply as it was accurate. Riley’s new emotions They are a prime example of what goes on in our heads during adolescence. Basic emotions are intensified in some cases and suppressed in others, while shame, anxiety and boredom occupy most of our thoughts. Moreover, although envy was already present to some extent in childhood, it appears that in adolescenceWhen group membership becomes the center of our lives, it takes on new relevance.

But anxiety rules, and this is captured beautifully in the film. This does not mean that this emotion cannot be felt in childhood. Sometimes, unfortunately, will appear very soon. Especially lately. But without a doubt, adolescence is a key stage as we experience a lot of changes in our lives that can overwhelm us. Moreover, all this happens at a time when the brain is fully maturing, so everything is experienced more intensely.

A simplified way to represent an alarm in Inside Out 2 This would be a character who touches all the buttons in the control room without allowing other emotions to play a role. And so it is. But there are other, much more specific issues where Pixar once again demonstrates that I was given very good advice describe each emotion. We’re going to talk about it, but be aware that there are some spoilers. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, you might want to save this article for when you do.

Why is anxiety needed?

Like all emotions, anxiety really necessary. Evolutionarily we have developed it to be alert to dangerous situations. For example, let’s think about one of our ancestors who went out to pick fruit for breakfast and suddenly encountered a lion. Faced with this unexpected encounter, he has two options: flee or fight. If there is an option to escape, this will always be the best option. But sometimes there is no choice but to fight.

In both cases, the body must prepare so that currently unnecessary functions, such as digestion, stop receiving energy, which will be much more beneficial for the muscles. They also tense up, ready to get down to business. Breathing and heart rate increase, pupils dilate… Anyone who has ever felt anxious knows these symptoms well: muscle cramps, tremors, rapid breathing, palpitations, abdominal pain…

We no longer meet the lion, but our body continues to create anxiety in the face of the dangers of this time: an exam, a work meeting, a car that misses its stop… Be alert to any of these situations. . This is good. In such cases, anxiety is very useful. The problem is that sometimes it gets the better of us. Symptoms become severe or even appear as threats situations that don’t actually exist. This is when anxiety may require us to go to therapy.

IN Inside Out 2, Anxiety appears along with other new emotions, I’m very glad to have the opportunity to work with the old ones. However, gradually it begins to become more and more possessive, preventing basic emotions from contacting controls. At first everything goes well. Riley makes new friends, becomes popular, feels like she fits in… The threat of going to high school, a school that won’t have her usual friends, seems to have been handled perfectly. But gradually everything goes down.

Mental health is presented in Inside Out 2

Experienced emotions don’t like it when anxiety takes over, so they start arguing. She doesn’t want to cooperate, so she locks them in the bank, insisting everything is fine. for Riley. This shows how, as teenagers, we sometimes suppress emotions because our anxiety takes over everything else.

It’s true that he initially does this for Riley. We have already seen that alarm is necessary. This helps us stay alert. Little by little the new emotion continues to take control and reach new successes For a girl.

But more and more are needed. He wants everything under control. This sets Riley’s imagination to work searching for a possible future. This is normal to a certain extent. Our brains have the ability to use information from the past and present to make predictions about the future based on experience. But, logically, this is not always possible. If the future can be predicted, it is easier to be prepared for possible dangers. But if this cannot be done, it is generated uncertainty and at the same time anxiety. This anxiety no longer just keeps us on guard. It also makes us start imagine possible alternative futures.

Like, if we have all our options under control, we can act accordingly. But this is for real Utopia. It is impossible to control what is beyond our control, so we end up suffering from things that will probably never happen.

IN Inside Out 2 We see how, little by little, Ansiedad begins to feel more and more uncertain about Riley’s future, so she creates these alternate futures to decide what to do with them. This makes the girl feel bad. If you find the answers to one of these futures, another will suddenly arise, and so on. This is exactly how our brain works.

Riley’s panic attack

While Joy, Sadness, Anger and Fear are trying to return from exile, Anxiety is already out of control. He doesn’t even pay attention to the rest of the new emotions he worked with on the team. He becomes obsessed with helping Riley, but… uncertainty This is not allowed. Suddenly he went crazy, pressing all the buttons and moving at high speed around the control room. Nothing he does seems enough to him.

That’s what’s going on in Riley’s head. Outside, we see the girl begin to cry and choke, while she shrinks and panic. Are you suffering from Alarm attack.

This will only be resolved when the rest of the emotions come into play and Anxiety is no longer the only one touching the controls. Unfortunately, this is a big oversimplification. get out of this alarm loop It usually doesn’t happen that quickly, but it’s true that it helps release other emotions.

The connection between therapy and Inside Out 2

At the end Inside Out 2 we see how all emotions work as a team. The anxiety is still there, no one throws it away because it is really needed. But she’s not the only one who can touch the controls. control room.

When Riley is nervous about the hockey team’s new lineups, Anxiety is tempted to make her imagine a possible future so she’ll be prepared. However, Alegria tells him that it is out of your control and that it is better for you to sit down and rest. She does so, but remembers that Riley needs to study for her Portuguese exam.

This is a simplification of what we learn when we go to therapy for anxiety. We must understand that we cannot suffer from something that we do not know about. These problems must be addressed as they arise. And that most of the images presented in our minds are just intrusive thoughts that want to keep us on guard, but in fact They don’t help.

On the other hand, anxiety can be useful to bring attention to everything we can control. How’s your exam.

According to the World Health Organization, 3.6% of adolescents aged 10 to 14 years and 4.6% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 suffer from anxiety disorder. This is what can happen if this beneficial anxiety goes beyond certain extremes. Therefore, according to the writer, Inside Out 2 This film should be watched in all schools and institutes. Because we cannot know the future, but we can prevent the consequences of overestimating it. This is one of the greatest lessons Pixar left us with this film.