New research released by memory upgrade provider Crucial.com reveals interesting insight into how Americans are choosing to vent their frustrations when confronted with computer problems.

According to a nationwide online survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of  Crucial.com in June 2013 among over 2,000 U.S. adults (ages 18 and older), 36% of those Americans who experienced computer problems in the past 6 months admit that at some point in the last six  months, they have lashed out at their slow, underperforming computers by using  profanity, screaming and shouting, or by striking it with a fist or other  object. In addition to the verbal and  physical abuse, those who experienced computer problems also indicated that computer  problems have taken an emotional toll on them by eliciting feelings of  frustration (65%), anger (10%), helplessness (10%), and victimization (4%).

"We've become so dependent on our computers and think of them as helpful partners, making it that much more painful when they betray us at the worst possible time," said  Roddy McLean, Crucial.com e-Commerce Marketing Manager.

When asked who or what is most to blame for their computer problems, nearly half of adults* (46%) cited viruses or malware, 16% said they were not sure what the cause was, 12% of adults* blamed  themselves for their computer mishaps, 10% pointed to installed software, and 8% suspected insufficient memory (RAM) as the prime culprit.

"Many are quick to  blame viruses or malware as the likely cause for a computer that has become  sluggish and unresponsive, but many times the problems are simply due to not having  enough internal memory — an easy, do-it-yourself fix that most people never consider  as a solution," added McLean.

The results come on the  heels of a recent announcement that Crucial.com has joined forces with  legendary tough guy and recovering aggravated computer user, Lou Ferrigno, to  find America's most frustrated computer user. Computer users are invited to  visit ToughOnComputers.com and submit a 30-second or less video, expressing their state of irritation with their loudest, most fearsome,  spine-tingling roar for a chance to win $5,000 or memory upgrades from  Crucial.com.

When compared to those  aged 35 and over, young adults* (aged 18-34) seemed more apt to resort to  abusive behavior such as cursing (39%vs. 25%), screaming (29% vs. 12%) or hitting  it with their fist (12% vs. 2%) as a result of frustration and anger caused by their  computer not meeting expectations.  Young  adults also outpaced all others when it came to crying, with 7% of 18-34 year  olds admitting to having cried at some point in the past 6 months as a result  of their computer problems, compared to only 2% of those 35 and over.

Founded on the concept of making upgrades easy for the everyday computer user, Crucial.com has been  serving customers for over 15 years, while providing the knowledge and tools  needed to select and purchase the right computer memory upgrade. Just go to Crucial.com and run the Crucial® System Scanner tool to find the right memory upgrade options that will improve system performance and extend the life of an existing  computer.

Visit www.crucial.com for more information, follow Crucial on Twitter at @CrucialMemory, "LIKE"  Crucial at www.facebook.com/CrucialMemory, and subscribe to helpful videos at www.youtube.com/crucialmemory.

*Adults who experience computer problems

Survey Methodology
  This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive  on behalf of Crucial.com from June 25-27, 2013  among 2,074 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,816 have experienced  computer problems. This online survey is not  based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling  error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including  weighting variables, please contact Will Ostedt at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..