Estimated reading time: 17 minutes

By The Psychology Group Team

In this piece, mental health therapists and psychologists from Fort Lauderdale break down what the movie ‘Inside Out 2’ got psychologically correct and what the movie may have missed. Please note that this post may contain a few spoilers from the movie, so read at your own risk!

🚨 Spoiler Alert 🚨

Starting with this section, the blog talks in detail about the plot of Inside Out 2.

If you haven’t seen ‘Inside Out 2’, we strongly urge you to drop everything you’re doing, and RUN don’t walk to your nearest theater/TV and watch this movie! Seriously, do it. It’s no surprise that at the time this blog post is being written, the movie has raked in over $1.462 billion dollars worldwide at the box office (Pixar’s highest grossing movie in history).

This movie has been well received and loved by children and adults alike and we mental health professionals at The Psychology Group concur!

We took a team field trip and watched the movie ourselves to see what all the hype was about, and boy did it deliver. 

The movie’s storyline picks up a few years after ‘Inside Out 1’ where Riley is about to enter high school. Her emotions from the first movie – Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust – are living the dream, until puberty strikes and with it, the arrival of several new emotions.

The new emotions are Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui (boredom). Suddenly, the original crew of emotions has to learn to coexist with the new ones and it turns out, it’s not so easy. 

Every emotion serves an important function

That’s because every emotion serves an important function, there are no useless emotions. Each emotion has three core objectives: 1) to communicate to us 2) to communicate to others 3) to motivate us to engage in life-enhancing action. 

For the majority of the movie, Anxiety is causing havoc for Riley. Anxiety boots other emotions out of the control room in order to pursue its agenda of control, perfection, and protection. So yes, it’s true that Anxiety was not serving a workable and adaptive function for Riley during much of the movie. However, by the end of the movie, Anxiety is better managed.

There’s a great scene in which a better managed version of Anxiety is sitting in her chair for the first time, sipping on some tea. When called to action, Anxiety is ready to step forward to help Riley prepare for a Spanish test. 

And there it is, the adaptive function of anxiety. The healthy role of this emotion is to focus our attention on future challenges, so that we’re prepared. Without this emotion it would be difficult for one to recognize when to take important preventative/preparatory actions (e.g., preparing for an important presentation). 

*At the end of this post, you’ll be able to download a handout that lists and describes the function of several common emotions.

Core beliefs are the fundamental way you see yourself, others, and the world

Core beliefs are a well recognized concept in cognitive theory. As we go through life and have experiences, we develop core beliefs based on our interpretation of those events. 

The core beliefs in the movie are appropriately represented by a pool of memories with beliefs rising up to the surface. For example, as Riley begins to feel anxious about her potential spot on the hockey team,  she interprets the events at the camp as proof that she is “not good enough.”

“I’m not good enough”  is a common core belief for those who struggle with anxiety. These folks often struggle with a desire to prove their worth to others through high performance or people-pleasing. Here’s the tricky part, our minds are biased to look for evidence that confirms what we already believe to be true (confirmation bias). So no matter how hard one strives to be good enough, your mind will keep finding reasons you aren’t. 

We see this in the movie when Riley briefly feels accepted by the team when Val invites her to hang out. Not long after, we watch as she feels “not good enough” because she doesn’t like the cooler band that the older teammates like.

‘Inside Out 2’ does a great job of portraying the way core beliefs give rise to either pleasent thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (picking up her friend’s books) or not so helpful ones (worrying to the extent that she is unable to sleep). The good news is that these core beliefs can be changed over time. We give the movie a thumbs up for portraying core beliefs in such a tangible way.

Our sense of self isn’t ruled by emotions

Emotions controlling behavior is a normal experience of human development. As children, the part of our brain–our prefrontal cortex–that is responsible for logic and rationality is not developed. Thus, the more emotional and primitive part of our brain responsible for emotion–the limbic system–exerts more control on our behavior. ‘Inside Out 2’ dramatized a normal and healthy part of Riley’s development. That is, towards the end of the second movie, she appeared to exert more control over her emotions. 

There are two moments towards the end of the movie that demonstrate a shift in Riley’s relationship with her emotions such as when Joy says to Anxiety, “We don’t get to choose who Riley is.” Then, probably my favorite part of the movie is at the end when light appears to flow from Joy, and Sadness says, “Joy, Riley is calling you.” 

In this moment, Riley’s relationship with her emotions appears to shift. No longer do they dictate her behaviors/actions via the control panel. Rather, Riley’s environment and what she is experiencing in the moment appears to determine what emotion gets the privilege of stepping forward to the control panel. 

I use the word privilege intentionally, because it is a gift to have cognitive awareness and insight into our emotions. Emotions communicate so much valuable information to us, (e.g., anger signaling that an important boundary was crossed).  By viewing our emotions as a communication tool, we can learn to use them to our advantage. This can meaningfully shift our relationship with our emotions.

Our sense of self–essentially our belief about who we are–is complex and at times can be conflicting. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines sense of self as “an individual’s feeling of identity, uniqueness, and self-direction.” Core beliefs, and the emotional memories that make them up, contribute to a sense of self. 

Until hockey camp, Riley’s sense of self appears to be largely defined by core beliefs with mostly positive emotional experiences. She has core beliefs of being a good friend, a good daughter, funny, etc. Throughout her time at hockey camp, while Anxiety is at the helm of Riley’s mind, her sense of self begins to change as core memories colored by anxiety are introduced. 

At the end of the movie, during the panic attack, all of the emotions gather around Riley’s shifting sense of self, appear to hug it, which in turn soothes the panic and anxiety. I interpreted this moment as an act of self-compassion. We can make mistakes, mess up, let someone down, AND we can still be a good person, friend, etc.  Sometimes we view ourselves positively, other times we may view ourselves negatively. It helps to practice self-compassion, embrace our humanity, and remember we are not defined by any one memory or experience. 

Suppressing emotions is ineffective

Several psychological studies show us that emotional suppression leads to more stress on the body and/or increased difficulty avoiding distressing thoughts and feelings (see here, here, and here).

In one study, for example, research participants were divided into two groups and shown disturbing medical procedure films while their stress responses were measured (e.g., heart rates, pupil dilation, sweat production). 

One group was asked to watch the videos while letting their emotions show whereas the second group of subjects were asked to watch the films and act as if nothing were bothering them. 

And guess what? The participants who suppressed their emotions (acted as if nothing bothered them) had significantly more physiological arousal (Gross and Levenson, 1997). The emotional suppressors may have appeared emotionally unfazed but on the inside stress was erupting!

These types of studies show us that acknowledging a broad range of emotions (even the painful ones), having words to describe how we feel, and facial expressions to emote (yup that can even mean crying) help us regulate our stress response. Suppressed emotions can later manifest in anxiety, depression, or even physical conditions such as headaches, high blood pressure, and weakened immune function. 

Additionally, suppressing emotions hinders effective communication and can strain relationships, as it prevents the expression of authentic feelings and needs. Over time, this can lead to a sense of isolation and emotional disconnection from oneself and others. In the movie, as some of Riley’s emotions were suppressed, she began to feel isolated from her best friends and even disconnected with her sense of self. 

What ‘Inside Out 2’ missed:

Most kids don’t magically learn how to cope with emotions 

Once Riley’s parents recognize what’s going on, their own emotions remind them to stay calm because they’re prepared for their daughter’s puberty. Mom’s response is a cringey, generic statement about how RIley’s body is changing. EW MOM!

What Riley’s parents don’t do is address how she can deal with this natural transition. Obviously her parents got through their own puberty, so sharing some wisdom about how they did so may have been helpful. And in real life, many parents do so.

At the end of the movie, we see Riley soothe her anxiety by using her senses to focus on the current moment (listening the sound of the skates on the ice, feeling the texture of the wooden bench, noticing the warmth of the sun on her face) – a popular grounding skill that many therapists will teach as a strategy to cope with anxiety.

It’s not realistic that Riley just intuitively knew how to do this. The scene may give folks the impression that it’s natural to be able to overcome panic attacks on your own, which isn’t the case for most people. Learning coping skills often takes a lot of practice, too. It’s unlikely that using a skill for the first time will go as  perfectly as it did in the movie.

In general, we feel that not providing Riley with some sort of guide character was a miss. Most of us need a mentor (like a caring parent, trusted adult, or therapist) to help us through difficult times and teach us coping skills. 

Puberty isn’t conquered over a weekend

Riley’s challenges come to a beautiful resolution by the conclusion of the movie. She’s learned how to manage anxiety, she made up with her friends, and she restored a healthy sense of self. We love that for her, but let us not buy into the unrealistic expectations that emotional struggles are a one time goal to cross off a to-do list.

The truth is, life will constantly present challenges and hardships to face. Just when you think you figured it all out, another stressor knocks on the door of life. And we can attest that puberty definitely lasts longer than a weekend. 

We understand that many moviegoers enjoy a happy ending to a story, and that is likely the reason why the movie ends in such a feelgood way. Nonetheless, let’s not forget that emotional struggles will come and go. We are constantly learning, evolving, and facing problems to solve.

Envy and Jealousy, although similar, are actually different emotions

The movie depicts the character Envy as having two functions – envy and jealousy. A lot of people are unclear about the difference between envy and jealousy so let’s clear it up. While they are similar emotions, they are in fact, distinct and serve different purposes.

Envy is a motivating emotion meaning it serves to inspire us to improve, whether it’s social status or performance. Envy can help people realize that changes need to be made in order to succeed or be a better version of themselves. This is accomplished by seeing the success of others and wanting something similar for ourselves. This is the type of envy that was portrayed in the movie. Riley really wanted to be picked for the hockey team and the role of Envy was to motivate her to do whatever it took to get on the team. 

Jealousy is an emotion that preserves social bonds and motivates people to engage in behaviors that maintain important relationships. In the movie, Envy portrays some of these qualities, especially when she is dealing with the new friends Riley is making. 

The miss here is that there will probably not be a character based solely on jealousy, which is not only unrealistic but downplays some important developmental milestones. Most people equate jealousy with romantic love and this is indeed the way many people experience jealousy.

It would be great to have this character show up when Riley develops a crush or feels threatened by an addition to her friend group. It seems that in the ‘Inside Out’ universe, envy will play both roles, even though in reality, there is a difference.

All in all, the movie got most of the emotions right but there are big differences between envy and jealousy which in the movie were portrayed as interchangeable. Jealousy would feel envious of Envy for being left out of the movie– see what I did there?

What’s the deal with Ennui?

Remember Ennui, the aloof and disinterested emotion that was usually face down on the phone? We loved this character but thought some viewers may not have been completely clear about this emotion’s purpose. So let’s clear it up, ICYMI.

‘Ennui’ is a fancy word (pinkies up when you say it) of French/Latin origin that means “boredom.” So we can assume that the movie intended for this character to represent the complex mix of emotions we often label as listlessness, apathy, and discontent. 

The character of Ennui had a starring role when Riley was trying to impress the older hockey teammates during a conversation about music. In a regrettably honest moment, Riley discloses that she likes the band ‘Get Up and Glow.’ Quickly, she realizes that such a musical affinity is sure to put her in the ‘immature and uncool’ zone. Cue Ennui to the rescue. 

With a dramatic course correction, Ennui takes over the emotional control board and amps up the “I’m too cool for school” detached sarcasm. Ennui’s indifference saves the day and (mostly) convinces the cool, older girls that she was only joking about liking the band in the first place. 

In the movie, Ennui plays an unclear function. Maybe the emotion served to ‘slow Riley’s roll’ when she became too authentically transparent in front of a mixed audience. 

In real life, an emotion such as Ennui is more likely to serve a motivating function to do something different than what you’re doing. For example, if we’re bored, perhaps we’ll go and engage in a pleasurable activity. Or, if we aren’t sure of what we want to do, we’ll brainstorm ways to be less bored. In other words, boredom helps us connect with what makes us happy. Due to the undefined character role, we thought this was a missed opportunity in the movie. 

Conclusion

More than ‘Inside Out 2’ being entertaining, it’s an important movie. It teaches us, especially kids, about the important role of emotions. Adults are not only entertained, but also can learn about the way the mind works. Unless you take a psychology class, chances are you never learned many of these concepts in school. 

The movie teaches us that we must accept and love all of our emotions because they all serve a purpose, and every emotion’s end goal is to keep us safe and thriving. We learned about the way core beliefs are created and how self-concept is developed. We learned that new and emerging emotions can be difficult to navigate but that doesn’t make them “bad.” The movie teaches the importance of expressing emotions and how suppressing them can lead to havoc and chaos. 

This movie was really well done, in fact both ‘Inside Out’ movies get most of it right. Some of the concepts could have been done differently but we will just chalk that up to artist liberty. All in all, ‘Inside Out 2’ is a winner and we at The Psychology Group give it 2 thumbs up!

Movie Trailer:

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