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Ecstasy has gained fame on the rave scene but is currently the subject of a serious study to determine if it could have a therapeutic effect.
Now, scientists have discovered that MDMA, the drug's active chemical, allows people to cooperate more effectively with others.
A team from King's College London discovered that the drug was causing changes in some parts of the brain related to "social treatment," which refers to the way people relate to society.
Problems of social treatment are "recognized as a fundamental difficulty in a range of psychiatric problems and are not treated effectively by current medications," said the university.
To determine the effect of MDMA, the researchers gave the participants a pill or placebo before asking them to play the prisoner's dilemma.
In this famous psychological game, players choose to confront or cooperate with another person.
Both players get points if they cooperate, but if a player chooses to fight, they receive all points, while the other player gets nothing.
The researchers found that participants who knew a bit about MDMA became more cooperative, but only when they interact with trusted players.
They were also more willing to rebuild their relationships after a breach of trust.
Professor Mitul Mehta of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience is the main author of an article on research.
She said: "We asked people what they thought of their opponent and, surprisingly, the MDMA did not change the confidence of other players.
"Untrustworthy players have been deemed weak, whether in MDMA or placebo, and trusted players have received such high ratings."
MDMA has increased activity in the upper temporal cortex and medial cortex, which is "important for understanding the thoughts, beliefs and intentions of others," the team said.
Co-author Anthony Gabay added, "When trusted players betrayed participants, the breach of trust had an equally negative impact, whether or not they were influenced by MDMA.
"However, the MDMA has helped to restore cooperative behavior more quickly and this tendency to rebuild a relationship has led to a higher overall level of cooperation with reliable partners."
"Using MRI scans, we also found that MDMA had an impact on brain activity when treating the behavior of others, rather than altering the decision-making process itself."
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