Very valid points Baz, and they can be decently protective. The problem for humans is that a lot of the time we have more than one thought process going. I know, I know, it seems that a lot of people don't even have 1 thought process going on (parra fans for example), let alone multiple thought processes, but hear me out. Even at the very moment you are looking at a picture and consciously thinking "pfft, what a joke", an unconscious thought process can be alive which, if expressed, would sound something like "that looks like an amazing life", or "whats wrong with me, that I can't do anything I want?". Depending on the strength of those unconscious thought processes, anxiety etc can increase, with some pretty remarkable physical symptomology.