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Scientists hope that a recreational drug could help to treat people with alcohol dependence. In the UK, MDMA - the active ingredient of the class-A drug ecstasy – has been given to a handful of alcoholics who have undergone a full detox, as part of psychotherapy sessions. The researchers hope it will help to make people more receptive to therapy, increasing their chances of recovery.

City traders who can detect their own heartbeat may make better use of their instinct when making quick decisions based on the financial markets. Most people do not seem to have this skill –– but one expert believes that the heart can be a powerful source of information guiding our behaviour without us being consciously aware of it.

Working on construction sites can lead to builders becoming locked into a cycle of fatigue, financial concerns and ill health. The industry’s macho culture makes it hard to talk about their worries – leaving them vulnerable to depression and even suicide. The British Mates in Mind initiative hopes to enable its predominantly male workforce to discuss their feelings.

And – feeling anxious about the audience’s every move, the stand-up comedian Robin Ince explains why he lays bare his own personal worries to make people laugh.

(Photo: A man (in silhouette) drinking a pint of lager in a pub. Credit: Press Association)