Different people have different reactions and stress levels to the same outward events, circumstances or situations. Why does this happen?

What will be an ideal response?

What some find stressful, others find exciting, and yet others may be unaffected. For example, driving over a high bridge is stressful to some people, some are excited by the sensation of the high view, and yet others do not seem to be affected in the least. What's the difference between these three groups? Cognitive theorists would say it is their interpretation of the event. Those who are stressed probably at some level, perhaps even unconsciously, are thinking that the height on the bridge they are experiencing is dangerous and could result in a fall, injury, or even death. Those who are excited are probably at some level thinking that it is a thrill to be able to see the vista from a bird's perspective.

What about the indifferent group? They are likely thinking that the drive over the bridge is nothing special and might even be thinking about how they need to feed the cat when they get home. So each group applies a different type of cognitive filter to the stimulus and, as a result, interprets that stimulus differently. Such differences help to explain why stress reactions to the same event vary from person to person.