This publication is the first book in Russian since 1930 dedicated to the role of humoral factors in the organization of behavior. The book is intended primarily for students of non-biological specialties: psychologists, sociologists, philosophers, teachers, managers. Therefore, it is written in such a way that it is accessible to people who do not have biological training.

The first chapter examines the mutual connections of the psyche and behavior, as well as the connections of the psyche with other functions of the body, characterizes the main directions of objective psychology: the Russian school, behaviorism and ethology. The second chapter describes the structure of the behavioral act. The third chapter outlines the principles of humoral regulation and lists the functions of the main hormones. The fourth and fifth chapters are devoted to stress, in particular uncontrollable stress and its consequence - depression. The sixth chapter is “Psychological types.” The seventh is devoted to the role of hormones and smell in social behavior: the hierarchy of communities, aggressive, affiliative and reproductive behavior. The eighth chapter is devoted to the biological basis of sex differences in the psyche and behavior, and the ninth - the role of humoral factors in biological rhythms.

The main differences of this textbook from similar English-language publications of the last decade: 1) the emphasis is on human behavior; 2) the main attention is paid to the role of hormones in the organization of adaptive behavior rather than sexual behavior; 3) the role of smells in human behavior is described.

The book is written in the genre of a textbook. Each chapter contains lists of recommended literature and test questions; There is a list of questions for the entire course, a list of possible topics for student essays, a glossary, and a subject index. Scientific statements are illustrated with numerous examples from fiction and fine arts. There are many reproductions, drawings, diagrams and tables.

Although the textbook is aimed primarily at readers without special biological knowledge, it will also be useful for biologists.