John O'Neill, the director of addictions services at the Menninger Clinic in Houston, Texas says that "technology overload"--addiction-like behavior using electronic gadgets like cellphones or acting as a slave to e-mail can be just as destructive to a relationship as drugs or alcohol. The article from Reuters Life! says the Internet/Computer Addiction Services in Redmond, Washington estimate that 6 to 10 percent of the approximately 189 million Internet users in the U.S. have a dependency on technology.

One of the signs O'Neill says to keep an eye on is when you or your spouse uses text, e-mail or phone call rather than face-to-face interaction when it would be more appropriate. Do you find that this is a problem in your relationship? We'd love to hear from you on this. To read the full article, click here.

Labels: gadget, news, study