Dr Michelle O'Driscoll: Some important learnings in Inside Out 2

I had the pleasure of going to see Disney’s Inside Out 2 in the cinema recently with a little lady who loved the characters, the colours, the humour and the popcorn! I had seen and loved the first film, which was a wonderfully visual way of depicting the emotions we experience in childhood, and how challenging it is to navigate them. So my hopes were high that this would be a strong second instalment.

That first film featured the main characters of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust inside the head of a little girl called Riley - the most essential emotions that we all experience as a young person. They are colourful characters with their own unique personalities and contributions to the control panel in Riley’s brain, that influence her interactions with the world around her, and the creation of important memories and beliefs.

And the sequel really didn’t disappoint. What Inside Out 2 so cleverly did was explore and illustrate Riley’s challenging transition into puberty, where the emotions we experience become more complex, and therefore the numbers of characters grew - enter Anxiety, Envy, Ennui (a French word for boredom or dissatisfaction) and Embarrassment. Nostalgia also gives a cameo appearance!

The way Riley experiences a hormonal shift was so accurately portrayed, with a red siren literally going off on the control panel in her mind, sending the original emotions into disarray whilst the new ones made a grand entrance, and chaos ensued! Here are some important learnings from the film, that really created a wonderfully impactful narrative.

Anxiety wants the best for us

The suffering that Anxiety caused to poor Riley was hard to watch, yet was so relatable to life as a teenager and as an adult! We get anxious due to fear of what’s in the future, and we go above and beyond to get ahead of what’s happening and strategise for the best possible outcome. What the film so delicately shows however, is that this planning and panic can have negative effects on our relationships and our energy levels, often leaving us in a worse place than we would have been without it. 

With the best will in the world, Anxiety causes trouble more than it helps. It has a place in our day, but preferably in the back seat!

Beliefs about ourselves matter

Inside Out 2 shows the deep complexities of our experiences and how they affect our beliefs and thought processes. One of the big learnings from the film is that nobody is perfect, and that both positive and negative experiences have a place in our development.

Blocking out the bad will only come back to bite us in the future, we’re better to embrace it and use it to guide and mould our outlook in a beneficial way going forward. Showing how literally “bottling up” emotions does not work was a really effective way to show this on screen.

Understanding is key

If you’ve somebody in the house that will be hitting puberty in time to come, or is right in the midst of it now, or even if you yourself experience anxiety, hormonal shifts or mood swings, this film is a light hearted yet powerful way to visually understand and rationalise these challenges going forward.

You can literally see the upheaval that takes place within us, the “reconstruction” that happens in the brain, and the new status quo that needs to be established between conflicting emotions.

Understanding this will help to bring empathy and compassion to yourself or family that you’re supporting through this experience. Hang in there, it all finds a new equilibrium eventually!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Michelle O’Driscoll is a pharmacist, re searcher and founder of InTuition, a health and wellness education company. Her research lies in the area of mental health education, and through InTuition she delivers health promotion workshops to corporate and academic organi sations nationally.