If the analysis doesn't clearly place us in either category, an uncertain emotional state results (and surprise, confusion, and anticipation are relevant emotions for this state). The traditional fight/flight/freeze categories used to describe behavior in stressful situations thus also describe emotional arousal. We can often metacognitively sense this back-and-forth discussion going on in our brain while we're trying to decide on such things as a major purchase or what to do on a vacation.

These positive/negative emotional states often return after the fact, when we assess the results of our decision. Emotions such as elation and pride follow success, and shame and guilt follow defeat. The emotionally tagged memories of the experience pop up when subsequent similar challenges occur, and can bias that analysis.

Our innate temperament can also bias the analysis and the resulting emotional state. Temperament emerges by the age of two and is generally categorized as either bold/uninhibited or anxious/inhibited. The bold tend to go towards challenges in optimistic curiosity and the anxious tend to move away in pessimistic wariness.

Mood (which tends to exist over a shorter period from a few hours to a few days) can similarly affect this analysis in the direction of the positive or negative mood we're experiencing. We may thus eagerly tackle a problem on Tuesday that we would avoid on Thursday.

Drugs and illness can also bias the accuracy of this analysis and the consequent conscious optimistic or pessimistic feelings that result. We may thus incorrectly feel that we're capable of meeting certain challenges, or vice versa.