Researchers from the University of Bolton, UK revealed that 54% of users have, at some point, become so frustrated with their PC’s that they have shouted at the screen, slammed on keyboards or smashed mice in anger.

Psychologists at the university asked 126 British computer users how often they “lost it” with their computer equipment and to provide a written description of one such incident.

They found that the majority experienced “computer rage” three or four times a month, with more than 10% showing some sign of rage at least 10 times. Most of these cases were associated with unsatisfactory work progress and time pressure, the survey concluded.

However, experts do believe that throwing a tantrum at a computer could actually be better for people’s health, rather than “bottling up” any anger.

John Charlton, from the university said: “Although the study did not look at health factors, habitual, unrestrained expression of anger is known to be a significant cause of ill-health.

“However, moderate outbursts of anger, in the form of shouting at a computer might actually be beneficial.”

One of the primary causes of poor computer performance could be the presence of malware on a system, with spyware or adware performing functions that command large amounts of a computer’s resources.

If your computer’s pace is causing you to lose your temper, download the latest antivirus software updates to ensure that it isn’t being held up by malicious software.

Research conducted by North Carolina State University found that participants clicked on a ‘fake’ pop-up advertisement 63% of the time with the majority of users clicking ‘OK’ without reading the message itself.

The study highlights the vulnerability of even experienced users to the threats posed by pop-up advertisements, given that pop-ups are one of the most common methods for malicious software to access a PC system.

Adware and Spyware are particularly common forms of malware which are transmitted using pop-up technology.

Research co-author Michael Wogalter, professor of psychology at North Carolina State University, warned users to read all pop-ups before acting.

“This study demonstrates how easy it is to fool people on the web,” he said.

“Be suspicious when things pop up. Don’t click OK – close the box instead.”

Tony Neate, managing director of the UK’s Get Safe Online campaign advised users to install a pop-up blocker and antivirus system.

“Browsers and most anti-virus software offers them. Pop-ups are either downloading something malicious or trying to sell me something so I just don’t want them there at all,” he said.