Great observations. Yes, I think your intuition is quite accurate. “Anticipate” is neutral in the sense that what you anticipate can be positive, negative, or neither. However, the word often has a slightly more thoughtful, measured, or formal feeling than “look forward to.” “I’m really looking forward to the trip” expresses your feelings about the trip. It clearly tells me that you're excited or happy about it. “I’m anticipating a wonderful trip” focuses more on your expectation of what the trip will be like. It is positive, but it doesn't express your excitement as directly. That is probably the emotional distance you are noticing. The same distinction appears in your other examples. “We anticipate further changes.” “We anticipate strong growth.” “We anticipate some difficulties.” In these sentences, “anticipate” sounds like a considered expectation based on what the speaker knows or believes. This is one reason it is common in professional, analytical, and formal contexts. There is another useful nuance. “Anticipate” can sometimes suggest not only expecting something but also thinking ahead to it or preparing for it. For example: “We anticipated some delays, so we left early.” Here, “anticipated” suggests that the speakers expected the delays and took them into consideration beforehand. In a very personal and enthusiastic context, “anticipate” is possible, but I would usually choose “look forward to” if I specifically wanted to communicate excitement. “I’m really looking forward to seeing you again” sounds warm and personal. “I anticipate seeing you again” sounds unusually formal and doesn't naturally communicate the same warmth. So your feeling of “emotional detachment” is not simply a non-native misunderstanding. I'd describe it more precisely as a difference in focus. “Look forward to” primarily expresses a positive emotional attitude toward a future event, while “anticipate” primarily expresses a mental orientation toward something expected in the future.