Inside Out 2 It follows example #1 perfectly. The first one helped us understand how our most basic emotions work. Thanks to her, we realized that they are all needed, even sadness. This is essential training for both children and adults. It seemed that nothing better could be done, but with the second part Pixar went further, exploring new emotions and analyzing behavioral changes teenagers. Once again, scientific advice is present as every detail of the film is carefully considered.
From the 1st minute we see scenes that prove that the writers understand how the human brain works. They are especially imbued with what happens in our consciousness from the very moment puberty.
In fact, the whole common thread Inside Out 2 ideally based on psychology and neuroscience. But there are some specific details that attract special attention. In this article we will look at 5 of them. 5 ideas on why Pixar is making it big again. There are some spoilers, please be aware before reading.
Islands in adolescence
Already in the first part of the film, we saw that in Riley’s mind there were islands that personified what main pillars their lives. Certainly, family island This was one of the most important.
While in Inside Out 2, when Emotions looks at the islands from the control room, Sadness is surprised not to see the family room. Alegria tells him that she is still here, “beyond friendship.” Then you see the family island occupying a small space, dwarfed by the huge friendship island
This is ideal for teenage years. A study was published in 2022 that analyzed how a group of children and adolescents responded to their mothers’ voices. Up to the age of 12, mother’s voices have been observed to trigger a flurry of activity in children’s brains, especially in areas associated with reward systems. said very much rough, they enjoy listening to them, and that is why they want to continue paying attention to them. However, starting from this age, almost any voice causes more activity than the mother’s voice. They hear them, but don’t listen.
This is because this is the time when teenagers begin to open up to the world. Their lives begin to expand beyond the family, and they need to pay attention to their social environment be part of it.
This does not mean that they do not love their families, far from it. IN Inside Out 2, the family island is still there. They simply stop being the center of their world and seek to strengthen new connections with other people their age. That’s why friendship island
Synaptic pruning Inside Out 2
Already in the first trailer from Inside Out 2 We saw a scene that showed us that the film will be very well documented about brain functioning. Almost at the very beginning, shortly after emotions run high from seeing the changes on the islands, a group of workers break into the control room and destroy everything to make way for the “new ones”. That is, to new emotions.
The first thing that is striking is that this is such a destructive invasion. This is not actually artistic license, but may refer to an actual process known as synaptic pruning.
When we are born, we have many connections between neurons. Some will be very necessary over time, but others are not used as often. We can think of it as a road system. Some of them have heavy traffic, while others are constantly empty or have very few cars. There is no point in spending the same resources on maintaining some roads and others. Therefore, those that are not used are eliminated to strengthen the rest. The same thing happens with neural connections. This synaptic contraction occurs mainly in adolescence.
Many disorders, such as schizophrenia or some autism spectrum disorders, are associated with excessive or under-pruning of synapses. Therefore, sometimes symptoms begin at this stage of life. IN Inside Out 2It seems like a catastrophe is happening inside Riley’s brain, but everything is within normal limits.
Shame is necessary
One of the new emotions that appears in Inside Out 2 This shame. He takes over the control room several times when Riley is trying to fit in with the older girls on the hockey team. If she overdoes the sycophancy, Shame comes into play and makes her stop. And, in fact, it is a very useful emotion, like all the others.
This is especially true in adolescence, as it helps correct behavior and prevent rejection at the stage at which it is so important for us to fit into the social circle. It should be noted that it is not always necessary to approach. We shouldn’t torture ourselves for being different from others. Therefore, shame should not go beyond certain limits, just like anxiety. It serves as a wake-up call for us, similar to those we see in Inside Out 2but not being the same as the majority of society should not be a cause for shame.
Anxiety in adults Inside Out 2
There’s something that catches your attention while watching Inside Out 2. New emotions in Riley’s brain are presented as something that comes with age. It seems they will stay there forever. However, when their parents’ brain, in the control room there are only basic emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger and Fear. Why shouldn’t the others stay there if they’re so much older than Riley?
The answer lies in nothing more or less than the post-credits scene. We see how, when faced with a new situation associated with the appearance of a teenage daughter, anxiety appears in your control rooms. The rest of the emotions greet her like an old friend whom they have not seen for a long time. It is clear that these are people who, over time, have learned to manage those new emotions that bombard us during adolescence. Anxiety takes over everything at first, but then it doesn’t have to go away because it has an evolutionary purpose. It should simply appear when it is really needed.
This doesn’t mean there aren’t adults who think about anxiety all the time. In fact, it’s something every time most common. If this is the case, you should not hesitate to go to therapy, because this is where we will learn the tools to allow anxiety to influence control just the right amount.
Sometimes it’s hard to manage emotions
When Anxiety first comes into the office, she tries to work through old emotions, but ultimately decides to lock them away. This is a metaphor for something very common in adolescence: suppression of emotions.
Sometimes teenagers are so bombarded with everything new that is happening in their lives that they choose to suppress the most basic emotions. This leaves more room for anxiety to act, as we see in the example Inside Out 2. Only when other emotions return to the control room can the balance that existed before puberty be restored. All emotions serve a purpose. We shouldn’t suppress anyone.
Source: Hiper Textual
