Are you a digital hoarder?

NEW YORK - If your devices are constantly running out of storage because you can't delete anything, then you might fit the bill of a digital hoarder.

A new survey conducted by OnePoll and Western Digital, a data storage company, said 33% of respondents say they’re holding onto files and photos that are more than 10 years old. And get this: 52% say they’ve never deleted anything from any of their devices.

Dr. Jephtha Tausig, a clinical psychologist, said that saving memories in photos and emails is very important for many people.

"Sometimes even texts can be associated with very powerful memories that people would like to hold on to," she said.

Deleting those memories can be painful. But people are afraid to permanently erase something.

"I think it has to do with, first of all, 'We might need this in the future,'" Tausig said. "And we don't want to be pawing through stuff and realize we threw it out."

That was the No. 1 reason people can't let go: thinking they'll need that content one day, the survey found. The No. 2 reason: they're filled with memories people can't seem to part with. And No. 3: Deleting stuff is a chore.

But some people also said they'll feel guilty about what they were deleting.

The bottom line, Tausig said, is that the start of a new year, and a new decade, is the perfect time to make some room.

"Think about it: you then have space for all the new, wonderful things that will happen in the new year," she said.