New research commissioned by Crucial.com, which provides memory upgrades, provides some insight into the frustration experienced by Americans when it comes to the overall performance of their computers.

The nationwide survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Crucial.com, revealed that more than half (52%) of U.S. adults who own a computer have been unhappy with the performance of their computer in the past six months, with an overwhelming majority (94%) of those who have experienced performance problems indicating that their computer performance issues have caused them to experience stress.

The glib answer to this is easy: get a Mac. But I'm serious.

When those who have experienced stress as a result of their computer’s performance issues were asked to compare computer-induced stress with other forms of stress, they indicated that their computer performance issues, such as slow loading programs, unresponsiveness, and crashes, were more stressful than choosing what to wear (47%), traffic jams (27%), going through airport security (21%), dealing with finances (19%), filing taxes (18%), managing their overall health (14%), and arguing with their spouse (13%).

Now most, if not all those things, cause me stress at one time or another. But my Mac rarely does; it just works.

"Computers are supposed to make our lives easier, but as we depend on our computers more and more for both professional and personal use, performance issues such as slow loading programs, unresponsiveness, memory warnings, and system crashes often result in a computer becoming a significant source of unneeded stress and frustration for users," said Roddy McLean, marketing director of Crucial.com.

Despite the high level of computer-induced stress and frustration among Americans, nearly two-thirds (63%) of computer owners have never attempted to install memory into their computer themselves. A simple memory upgrade could resolve their computer’s problems.

Of course, that's almost impossible if you buy one of Apple's latest laptops, which range from difficult to impossible when it comes to upcoming. The lesson: order as much installed memory as you can afford.

Other than that, to avoid stress when it comes to computer usage, well, get a Mac.

-- Dennis Sellers