Pixar needed a hit. The DisneyThe Walt Disney Company is an American multinational mass media and entertainment organisation.-owned animation studio rode high in the 2000s. Film after film won both critical plauditsAn expression of praise. It comes from the Latin word for applaud, which actors would shout at the end of plays to make the audience clap. and commercial success, but recent years have been tough.¹

Enter Inside Out 2: Pixar's latest film has revived the studio's fortunes.² It is a sequel to a 2015 film about the inner workings of the mind of a 11-year old girl called Riley. In the first film, animated avatars for Riley's main emotions - Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger - helped her deal with moving to a new city.

The sequel picks up two years later. It sees a new band of emotions appear as Riley hits pubertyThe time in a person's life when they go through physical and hormonal changes, changing from being a child to being an adult. . EnvyWanting things that others have., Embarrassment, EnnuiA feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction that comes from having nothing to do or no excitement. and their leader Anxiety, clash with the old guard over how to steer Riley through ice hockey camp.

The film's storyline chimes with one of the biggest news stories of the year: the rise of anxiety among teenagers.

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, about something that lies ahead in the future.³ You might feel anxious over an exam, a medical appointment or your relationship with a friend. Everyone feels anxious sometimes. Constant or recurrent anxiety can be a medical disorder.

However, we appear to have entered a new age of anxiety.⁴ Diagnoses of depression and anxiety in US college students more than doubled between 2010 and 2018. A survey earlier this year found that 28% - or almost three in 10 - 12 to 18-year olds in the UK have avoided going to school because of anxiety.

Some researchers believe that the anxiety epidemic is linked to technology. Social media brings a constant stream of notifications. People feel desperate to gain "likes". One poll has found that 50% of teenagers feel anxious whenever they are without their smartphones.

A number of studies, writes Derek Thompson in The Atlantic, "show that teen anxiety started rising just as smartphones, social media, and front-facing cameras contributed to a wave of negative emotionality that seems to be sweeping the world".⁵

PsychologistSomeone who studies the mind, emotions and behaviour. Jonathan Haidt even believes that these devices have "rewired" young minds to be constantly worried. He says it is possible that Gen ZShort for Generation Z, meaning people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s. will be "anxious and fragile" for the rest of their lives.

This idea that anxiety should be avoided has a long history. Ancient Greek physicianA medical doctor. Hippocrates identified it as a disorder. Roman philosopherA thinker who comes up with ideas about big questions in life. and emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote: "Never let the future disturb you."

Yet some think that anxiety might not be entirely negative. In Inside Out 2, Anxiety and the other emotions have to work together to steer Riley through life.

Some experts agree. The Mental Health Foundation writes that anxiety is not necessarily a bad thing: "It can spur us on, help us stay alert, make us aware of risks and motivate us to solve problems." It can also help us to face our fears. Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki says that "the emotion of anxiety and the underlying physiological stress response evolved to protect us".

Too much anxiety can cause huge problems. But perhaps a little helps us as much as it hurts us.

Can a little anxiety be good for us?

Yes: Anxiety is good in moderation. Too much can cause us to freeze and worry, but a little anxiety can help us keep safe, recognise when something is not working and make us more conscientious.

No: We can make use of anxiety in some situations. But these positives are just silver linings. Anxiety makes us sadder, less active and more stressed. And it can make us act on our worst instincts.

Or... Our emotions are not good or bad for us in themselves. Their value comes from how they are used. Happiness can hurt others, hatred can be deserved, and anxiety has both useful and destructive ends.

Disney - The Walt Disney Company is an American multinational mass media and entertainment organisation.

Plaudits - An expression of praise. It comes from the Latin word for applaud, which actors would shout at the end of plays to make the audience clap.

Puberty - The time in a person's life when they go through physical and hormonal changes, changing from being a child to being an adult.

Envy - Wanting things that others have.

Ennui - A feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction that comes from having nothing to do or no excitement.

Psychologist - Someone who studies the mind, emotions and behaviour.

Gen Z - Short for Generation Z, meaning people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Physician - A medical doctor.

Philosopher - A thinker who comes up with ideas about big questions in life.