According to Nielsen Mobile, the average cell phone user in the U.S. sends or receives more text messages than actual phone calls. The average user sent or recieved 357 text messages versus 204 calls each month, as of the second quarter of this year.

As you might expect, those numbers are strongly affected by younger cell phone users. The 13 to 17 year-old age group sent or received 1,742 text messages against 231 phone calls.

The oldest users - those 65 and up - still lag considerably, with 99 phone calls and 14 text messages per month.

Still, this isn’t just a teen movement. The 35-44 age group had 236 text messages and 223 phone calls.

Apparently the rise in popularity of the full QWERTY-style keypads has contributed considerably to the text-heavy trend.

I can see this in my own life. I find myself sending so many more text messages now that I have a phone with a full keypad. And I also find myself writing messages that consist of more than just four or five words.

So do you text more than you talk? Why or why not?