What is Ennui, the curious emotion that appears in Inside Out 2, about?

With a thin figure, purple in color, an apathetic character and always glued to the screen of her cell phone. In this way, we show Boredom the new character introduced in the hit Disney-Pixar film, Upside Down 2 which has been in cinemas across the country for several weeks and has moved young and old alike.

It was in the first film that viewers learned how emotions worked in Riley Andersen’s mind: Joy, sadness, fear, anger and disgust . Located in a sort of “control room”, each of these states managed to influence, at a given moment, the young girl’s daily actions.

But as the little girl gradually enters adolescence, everything seems to change. That’s when new emotions arrive at the barracks in the second installment, and one of them is Boredom.

Ennui is a French concept that could be translated into Spanish as boredom But it also encompasses other things. It is closely related to apathy, feeling of emptiness, dissatisfaction, lack of energy and interest in everything that happens around you.

“It is an emotion that can appear more in adolescence and that has a purpose in development at those ages,” explains Mariarita Bertuzzi, an academic at the School of Psychology at the University of the Andes.

“It reflects a position of distance from external things, necessary on the one hand to restore balance in a period of life characterized by changes and multiple stimuli. On the other hand, because it allows you to find yourself and find your own tastes, tendencies and interests,” adds the expert.

According to Guila Sosman, an academic at the School of Psychology at Diego Portales University, Exposure to digital devices from a young age could be one of the reasons why boredom is much more prevalent among today’s teenagers.

“Basically, children and adolescents are increasingly accustomed to receiving audiovisual stimuli quickly. There is constant external stimulation, but when it is not there, they fall into states of little activity, boredom and demotivation,” explains the teacher.

Although boredom is often considered something negative and that it should not happen, Sosman argues that it is strictly necessary to experience it in the daily lives of children and adults. This, since it is what gives space to creativity, curiosity and even diving into other emotions.

According to the UDP academic, the new Disney-Pixar feature film leaves profound lessons on the role that emotions play at all stages of life, why they are so necessary and how to identify them to manage them correctly.

“This helped avoid classifying every emotion we feel as bad or good. There must also be sadness, boredom and disgust, provided they are appropriately integrated into our personality. “If I see a person who is demotivated, you have to understand that this is part of their personality and you should not repress it or not accept it,” he says.

Another effect of the animated film is that it could allow parents and children to talk more openly about their emotions. “Maybe caregivers will understand how important it is to tell their children ‘you’re angry now’, and they will also be tuned in to their children’s emotions and be able to interpret them. Ultimately, this facilitates communication within the family. “, concludes Sosman.