One-day-old chicks were selected on their performance in imprinting behaviour and termed high-imprinted (H-I), partially imprinted (P-I) and low-imprinted (L-I) chicks. Then, H-I and L-I chicks were submitted to acute handling stress and [3H]flunitrazepam receptor-binding was performed on synaptosomal membranes from forebrain at various times after handling. The receptor number significantly increased in L-I but not in H-I chicks at 30 min after handling while the affinity remained unchanged at all times. In addition, when the three selected groups were maintained to reach 15 days of age and then they were submitted to acute swimming stress, the degree of receptor increase was also inversely related to the degree of imprinting performance. The receptor increase associated to swimming stress was higher in the left hemisphere, suggesting an interhemispheric asymmetry of stress effects. The results suggest that more-imprinted chicks are less susceptible than less-imprinted chicks to acute stress associated to central benzodiazepine receptor increase, probably due to differences in the degree of endogenous emotionality.