Confusion: quick facts
Confusion is the uneasy state of not understanding something or being unable to make sense of conflicting information. It signals a mismatch between what a person expects and what they are encountering, and it tends to…
Category
Complex & secondary emotions
Valence
Neutral
Emotion family / blend
Surprise
Typical triggers
Contradictory information, unclear instructions, complexity, ambiguity
How it's expressed
Furrowed brow, tilted head, hesitation, questioning look, pause
Sources: American Psychological Association — APA Dictionary: emotion; Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley — Emotions; Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions (Robert Plutchik) — overview. Educational information only — not medical or psychological advice. See our sources & fact-check policy.