One of the central themes of the Inside Out sequel is the adolescent transition through puberty, and in particular, the rise of new emotions such as anxiety, ennui, and embarrassment. Anxiety assumes a central role in the film, literally evicting the other primary emotions (joy, fear, disgust) in order to commandeer 13-year-old Riley’s journey through puberty.

The film offers several “teachable moments” about anxiety as an emotion, both developmentally in puberty as well as more broadly as both an aid and obstacle in adult functioning.

In the film, the character Anxiety takes over from the primary emotions and immediately begins planning for possible bad scenarios that could occur to adolescent Riley. In a massive control room, Anxiety predicts all kinds of possible mishaps, like missing a goal or being too forthright and enthusiastic with a teammate.

This is an important step in human development and has a natural and protective logic. By being mindful of future outcomes, Riley can make different and sometimes better choices to ensure a desired outcome.

In other words, anxiety tunes the individual into the future, connecting short-term or........

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