Inside Out

Friday night was the first time I ever watched the Disney Film “Inside Out”. I enjoyed the movie a lot because there were lots of emotions occurring, whether they were Joy, or Sadness. It made me realize the whole meaning of being a part of the Happiness FYS section. I believe that this film is trying to teach us that in our own lives, happiness is not the only emotion that we may feel. Joy was the most prominent character/emotion in the film, and her role in the beginning of the film was to operate on Riley’s feelings. When something went wrong, Joy came to the rescue to fix Riley’s emotions and make things better. However, that is not how our brains and emotions work. Throughout the movie, we were exposed to other emotions - Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. We then learn that these emotions try to stabilize Riley’s brain. I realized that emotions are what run our views and perceptions in the world today. I also realized that Joy could not have been as happy as she was without Sadness. Sadness played a big role in the film, because Joy wouldn’t be Joy without Sadness, and vise versa with all other emotions. We see throughout the film that Sadness slowly takes control of Riley’s emotions about the changes in her life. We see this happening when Sadness makes the images of Riley’s memories of her life blue. Sadness influences Riley’s feelings and emotions to see the changes happening in her life, which led her to a new identity. I feel that being a part of this FYS section has taught me that our current emotions influence what we remember about the past, how we go about situations in our present, and moreover, our future.

Freshman Research Conference

The Freshman Research Conference was very informational. I received a pretty clear sense of what the other two sections in our pod were doing and what they were learning about. I think that the information presented was very eye-opening and very interesting to learn about. From Professor Fitzgerald’s Brain Class, a panel of 4 students presented on Cooperative Learning. They gave us information about the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the obstacles that come with cooperative learning. Their information taught me that cooperative learning and group work is important. In the Altruism Class of Professor McGarry, I learned a lot about altruism and how altruists have lived their life from traumatic events such as the Rwandan Genocide and the Holocaust. From our class, I learned a lot more about happiness and the difference between self-efficacy and self-esteem. The information presented from all sections have taught me something new and helps me gain a better understanding of what happiness is and where it comes from. My role in the audience was to be supportive of everyone presenting and to give them my full attention by being attentive and respectful.