In their new book, "TechnoStress," psychologists Michelle M. Weil and Larry D. Rosen say that the growing dependence on technology affects us negatively, and that we count on our machines to do so much that when something goes wrong with our technology, we are thrown into a tailspin.

"Some people become so immersed in technology that they risk losing their own identity" &£45;- a syndrome called "technosis." You are a victim of technosis if you answer "yes" to questions such as: "Do you feel out of touch when you haven't checked your answering machine or voice mail in the last 12 hours?"

Symptoms of technosis include overdoing work and never feeling finished, believing faster is better, and not knowing how to function successfully without technology.

(c) "TechnoStress," John Wiley & Sons 1997