I knew something was wrong years ago, when I broke up with my high-school sweetheart shortly after a fight over who had dibs on the next game of The Sims. Of course, we were completely incompatible, and would have surely garnered huge counseling bills had we stayed together, but I always knew I loved my computer more than her. A recent survey sheds some light on this kind of concern. Conducted by independent research firm Kelton Research and commissioned by Support.com, the "Cyber Stress" study shows that a large percent of Americans actually do spend more time with their computers than with their significant others, and these person-to-PC relationships can be almost as dysfunctional as an episode of “Maury.”

Just because computers are now taking up more of our time doesn’t mean that our new electronic relationship partners are devoid of the same pitfalls. According to the study, about 52 % of people describe their “recent experience with a computer problem as one of anger, sadness, and alienation,” and the average consumer has experienced computer problems about 8 times in the past 3 years. Going by my own experience, these figures don’t seem far fetched.

But the study states that 8 out of 10 people are more dependent on their home computers now than they were 3 years ago, and the average American spends about half a weekend every month dealing with computer issues. This just goes to show that you really can’t live without them, but you can live with them so long as you can upgrade every so often. In an effort to reduce the problem of personal PC relationship angst, SupportSoft is introducing Support.com as the trusted advisor to turn to when your technology goes “Skynet” on you. And If all else fails, just buy your electronic significant other new memory and some chocolates for Valentines Day.