The accuracy of Inside Out
How much control do our emotions have over us? In what situations can rationality sometimes go out the window?
We experience thoughts on a near constant basis. Unlike animals, thinking is the most notable function of our brain. The prescriptive term 'overthinker' is commonly used in our language. It can be directed in many ways, from anxiety to paranoia to high intellect.
But back to the main point. 'Inside Out' is a Disney Pixar Animation that depicts the emotions of a girl and how they navigate and control her existence.
From a far it appears to be a fantastical way of representing people and their minds.
However it is actually a pretty accurate way of conceptualising how we function on a daily basis. The director even received advise on how to convincingly portray the mind and what core emotions to pick.
In the film the emotions decide between them which one of them should react to a given situation. This is sometimes an easy decision and sometimes a difficult one, involving the emotions battling out for control.
Imagine you're starving, or imagine you're furious with someone for some random reason. How easy would it be to alleviate your desire or emotions inside of you, given how powerful they are. Probably not too easy.
This is how the film uses the emotions and also how we ourselves also experience emotions some of the time.
The main caveat to this is that certain situations call for less immediacy or importance over how you react. Say you dropped your pencil on the floor. You hopefully wouldn't cry, shout or run away in fear. You would just casually pick it up and carry on doing what you're doing.
Now imagine you find out that your long-term partner has been cheating on you for a significant period of time. The chances of you being able to control your emotions and not experience a tunnel vision approach of anger and rage is a lot lower.
I'm not saying that we're constantly in control of one emotion at all times. But I am saying that we have emotional avatars so to speak, in our heads that appear at specific times and act as individual personalities within us.
These personalities that exist inside of us can be separate to how we see ourselves. They are cultivated through past experiences and develop into aspects of who we are. Obviously they can change overtime as well, meaning that they're in a constant state of progression.
This blog is a bit of a mess but I hope that the main point has gotten through to you in one way or another.
If you haven't watched the film then I thoroughly recommend that you do. I also recommend that if you have kids you encourage them to watch it or watch it with them. It could really give insights into how they're brain works in a simple fashion.
Thank you for reading once again.
Until next time,
OxJ