Sharon Begley examines the whole spectrum of compulsive behaviour, and explains how even the most mild of compulsions can signify anxiety.

Sharon Begley is the senior science writer at STAT, the life sciences publication of The Boston Globe. She previously worked at Reuters, Newsweek, The Daily Beast and The Wall Street Journal. She is the author of Can't Just Stop, The Emotional Life of Your Brain (with Richard J. Davidson), The Plastic Mind and The Mind and the Brain (with Jeffrey Schwartz). She has received numerous awards for communicating science to the public.