Study Reveals Time Lost to Slow Computers May Be a Barrier to Better Health

As Americans Average 2 Hours Per Week Waiting for Their Slow Computers, Experts Say Patience, Diet and Exercise Are Often Compromised Due to Lost Time

The start of a new year often provides inspiration for making positive life changes, but the best intentions often succumb to busy schedules and excuses. New research commissioned by Crucial.com reveals a surprising way to gain more time for improving one's personal health: fix a slow computer. (Graphic: Business Wire)

BOISE, Idaho--()--The start of a new year often provides inspiration for making positive life changes, but the best intentions often succumb to busy schedules and excuses. New research commissioned by Crucial.com reveals a surprising way to gain more time for improving one's personal health: fix a slow computer.

The nationwide survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Crucial.com in October 2013, revealed that U.S. adults who think they waste any time waste an average of 16 minutes per day waiting for their computer to load or boot up. Equating to two hours each week and four days per year lost to the wiles of a slow computer, it's no surprise that 66% of Americans say that waiting for a system they know should be faster is one of their top frustrations.

“Unquestionably, one of the biggest barriers to managing personal health is a lack of available time in our busy days. But, even 20 minutes of physical activity a day can have tremendous benefits. It’s astounding to think about the time wasted over the course of a day, week, month and year, as we wait on a machine that should make our lives easier and more efficient,” said Kathy Kaehler, author, celebrity trainer and fitness/lifestyle expert.

When asked how people would choose to spend extra time in their day, 31% of US adults said they would exercise more and 26% said they would catch up on sleep. Lack of time is also a barrier to healthy eating, as 37% said they would like to plan their meals and/or cook more, but they usually grab something fast and often unhealthy as they don’t have enough time - with 61% of men aged 18-34 agreeing with this.

“A slow computer is not only wasting valuable time that could be put towards improved health, but it is also a source of immense frustration and constant stress, two things that are never good for anyone’s health,” added Kaehler.

Still, despite not being able to find the time to exercise, nearly half (45%) of adults between the ages of 18 and 34 admit that waiting for a slow computer leaves them feeling more “drained” than a hard workout.

“If you’ve been using a computer regularly for the last decade, you might have wasted more than an entire month of time waiting for your computer to boot up, open programs, shut down, or perform tasks that are normally quick and simple,” says Roddy McLean, marketing director at Crucial.com. “But, just as our personal health changes as we age, computers also slow down and struggle with some tasks as they get older. Unresponsiveness, low memory warnings, display problems, trouble starting and system crashes are not only typical causes of user frustration and stress, but are also warning signs that a computer’s health is ailing and might need rejuvenation in the form of a memory upgrade.”

Founded on the concept of making upgrades easy for the everyday computer user, Crucial.com provides 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 to find the right upgrade to improve performance and extend the life of an existing computer.

Visit http://pr.co/p/001gdo for an “Are Computers Affecting Your Health” infographic, as well as more tips from Kathy Kaehler on finding extra time in the day.

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.

*Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States between October 14-16, 2013 among 2,025 adults aged 18 and older, by Harris Interactive via its QuickQuery omnibus product. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. For complete survey methodology, please contact Will Ostedt at wostedt@ppmgcorp.com.

About Crucial.com

Crucial.com is a leading online retailer specializing in computer memory (RAM) and solid state drives (SSDs), and is operated by a subsidiary of Micron Technology, Inc., one of the world's leading manufacturers of computer memory products. Crucial.com offers more than 250,000 compatible products for nearly every computer system: home and business, old and new, PC and Mac® computers. Utilizing a suite of easy-to-use, free online tools, including the Crucial® System Scanner and the Crucial Memory Advisor™ tool, Crucial.com makes it easy to find a compatible upgrade to improve computer performance and restore system reliability. For more information, visit www.crucial.com.

About Micron

Micron Technology, Inc. is one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets a full range of DRAM, NAND and NOR flash memory, as well as other innovative memory technologies, packaging solutions and semiconductor systems for use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, embedded and mobile products. Micron's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ under the MU symbol. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc., visit www.micron.com.

©2014 Micron Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Information is subject to change without notice. Crucial, the Crucial logo, and Memory Advisor are trademarks of Micron Technology, Inc. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Contacts

The Pollack PR Marketing Group
Will Ostedt/Stefan Pollack
310-556-4443
wostedt@ppmgcorp.com
spollack@ppmgcorp.com

Release Summary

U.S. adults who think they waste any time waste an average of 16 minutes per day waiting for their computer to load or boot up.

Contacts

The Pollack PR Marketing Group
Will Ostedt/Stefan Pollack
310-556-4443
wostedt@ppmgcorp.com
spollack@ppmgcorp.com