By now, you have probably seen Pixar's latest triumph, Inside Out , and if you are anything like me, you are not over it. I may never be over it. For anyone who has struggled with depression, Inside Out hit so close to home the call was practically coming from inside the house. Even if you have never dealt with mental illness, the movie still nailed its depiction of the rich, inner emotional life every person leads. The mind can be a turbulent place, but I love the idea that Mindy Kaling could be my personal voice of disgust or Amy Poehler could be responsible for bringing the joy to my day-to-day life. OK, so maybe I got a little over-invested, but the movie was so good, I couldn't help myself. Plus, it was basically a personality test.
With each character representing a different emotion, Inside Out created a cast perfectly suited to telling you about your personality. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear were not just singular, one-note emotions. They each possessed the ability to express themselves within an entire spectrum of emotion. I have no idea how Pixar shoved so many layers into characters that by their definition should have been straightforward, but that's Pixar for you. Trust me, your favorite Inside Out character says a lot more about you than you think. Read on to find out what your fave can tell you about yourself — which Inside Out character are you?
Joy
Boundless energy and a thirst for happiness define Joy. In her world, every day should be an amazing day, and there is always an upside to every obstacle. For Joy, problems are a pleasure because they give her something to solve, and sadness is a burden best pushed out of sight. You share Joy's zest for life. Everyday is a new adventure in your life, and you have no time to dwell on hardships. You have a larger than life, unstoppable personality and if you are not careful you can take other people's feelings for granted without realizing it.
Your happiness is contagious though, and being around you is... well, a joy.
Anger
Anger isn't angry just for the sake of being ticked off, he just feels everything very deeply. If you identified with Anger's tendency to get irritated easily, it doesn't mean you're a hot head, it simply means you're passionate. There's just no time for you to deal with every single one of life's annoyances because you are a big picture kind of person. Like Anger, you are proactive. You may not always make the right decision, but you cannot stand the idea of waiting around for someone else to make a decision for you. Like the boss you are, you are all about getting things done, and if someone gets in your way, then they have to deal with the consequences.
Fear
Fear gets a bad rap. Everyone thinks he's irrational, but he is the key to self-preservation. He's a pragmatist — sure, he spazzes out now and then, but on the whole he is an expert planner. If you found yourself nodding in agreement with Fear's worst case scenario lists, then you too are a planner. You like to prepare for all possible outcomes of any situation. It is your realism and your desire to make solid decisions that guide you through life. On the downside, you probably spend a fair amount of time worrying, which, let's face it, sucks. However, when your squad needs a plan, you are the one they turn to and that's an excellent confidence booster.
Disgust
Disgust is a total goddess. She is all about being cool, ironic, and keeping Riley away from broccoli. She approaches life with an eye toward relevancy. She's all about what's in right now and not five minutes ago. Like Disgust, you are a trendsetter who is often ahead of the curve. You stay up to date with the latest fashions, TV shows, and food fads. You also pity the fool who tries to fake their way into your inner circle.
As far as you are concerned, there is no situation that cannot be improved by hard truths and sarcasm.
Sadness
Life is hard, and Sadness embraces the less savory parts. She knows that a life without some sadness is impossible. No one gets a completely charmed life and everyone is better for it. You understood Sadness' point of view because you know that it takes adversity to show a person what is really important. To deny any one feeling is detrimental, and so you allow yourself to have a good cry now and then. You know being sad is not a weakness, but part of being a well-rounded person. Being sad sometimes just means you feel all of your feelings, including joy, more profoundly.
Bing Bong
Bing Bong is imagination at its finest. He is a walking representation of possibility who proves you can be anything you want to be. His innocence attracted you because you like to think you will never grow up. The truth is just by acknowledging the fact that you are not waiting to become an adult means you already are one. There's still a Bing Bong living inside your head telling you to reach for the stars and you will never stop believing that the world is a big, bright playground. You are wise enough to know imagination only fades if you let it, and a life without imagination would be very dull indeed.
Riley
All of the characters together make up Riley, a vivacious, smart, creative, and active young woman. She has dreams, nightmares, fears, quirks, and all of the other things that make a person a person. You love the total sum of her parts because you know taking away any single piece of the puzzle puts her humanity in jeopardy. You watched Inside Out and saw past the hook to its deeper meaning: that emotions are a vital part of life. That makes you one smart cookie who refuses to choose one thing to be when you can be everything all at once.
Whether you're Joy, Sadness, Disgust or one of the others, one thing's clear: Inside Out has something for everyone. What's not to love?
Images: Disney/Pixar; Giphy (7)
