A state-by-state look at the long-reads that captivated Pocket users in 2022

Every year, the top stories that were saved and read by Pocket's more than 10 million users clue us in to the prevailing mood of the time. In 2020, readers looked for answers in The Atlantic's exploration of how the pandemic might end. In 2021, The New York Times' piece on languishing" captured what we collectively felt when it didn't.

This year, the stories people Pocketed are more varied: Many readers saved a guide to improving our lives in small ways, which checks out with the theme of renewal that we saw in overall saves in 2022. A lot of gamers also looked up starter tips for Elden Ring. And curiously, many people seemed to want to make sure that they're brushing their teeth properly.

Even more intriguing: the long-reads that people saved. After all, what we spend our time on says a lot about who we are - from Californians rethinking what satisfies them to New Yorkers craving deeper friendships. Here's a selection of what we learned about each state from the long-reads that Pocket users saved in 2022:

• Alabama followed an investigation into how aggressive policing affected a local town.
• Alaska was curious about how overexcited neurons can shorten life spans.
• Arizona learned about a memory technique that can help everyone from students to Alzheimer's patients.
• Arkansas studied the art of Kakeibo, a Japanese budgeting system.
• California seemed to be working on wanting less.
• Colorado grappled with the return of the urban firestorm."
• Connecticut considered getting rid of almost everything.
• Delaware wondered what happens when you stay in the same house forever.
• Florida learned how to recognize the signs of being micromanipulated by a narcissist.
• Georgia did a lot of home improvement, from planning a garden layout to keeping snakes away from the house.
• Hawaii reckoned with the effect of climate change on its most famous beach.
• Idaho looked into how reading skills are taught in American schools.
• Illinois read about the life of ultra-introverts who go about their daily lives at night.
• Indiana pored over a writer's appreciation of Joan Didion's greatest two-word sentence."
• Iowa asked why a social psychologist thinks the past decade has been uniquely stupid."
• Kansas was interested in the free land being offered by the state's local towns.
• Kentucky thought about the current state of women's rights, education and the right to vote.
• Louisiana wanted to master how to love.
• Maine took some cooking lessons from the French.
• Maryland looked into how to make and maintain friends.
• Massachusetts read about the habits that lead to happiness in old age.
• Michigan was interested in getting rid of unwanted stuff ethically.
• Minnesota wondered why people are acting so weird.
• Mississippi shook up their morning routine to become happier, healthier and more productive.
• Missouri revisited the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.
• Montana devoured an article about the nutritional vindication of cheese, butter and full-fat milk.
• Nebraska asked what happens if Russia loses.
• Nevada looked into some of the false memories many of us share, like Tom Cruise dancing in his underwear and a pair of Ray-Bans in Risky Business."
• New Hampshire looked to Buddhism to turn fear into love.
• New Jersey considered whether JFK Jr.'s George magazine foreshadowed a Trumpian future.
• New Mexico heard advice from an end-of-life doula on how to make the most of our time on Earth.
• New York contemplated the importance of friendships.
• North Carolina seemed to have some trouble sleeping.
• North Dakota wanted to know how tech billionaires plan to save themselves from the apocalypse.
• Ohio pondered Russia's invasion of Ukraine, from the consequences of banning Russian fossil fuels to the generational divide in what Americans think about the war.
• Oklahoma wanted to stop worrying and start growing.
• Oregon considered whether #VanLife is really all that it's cracked up to be.
• Pennsylvania read about how a grad student solved a math problem that stumped experts for 50 years.
• Rhode Island questioned whether they were the same person they used to be.
• South Carolina sought to do everything better.
• South Dakota learned that drawing isn't a talent" but a skill built through practice.
• Tennessee was fascinated about a group of hippies who spent two years inside a dome.
• Texas delved into what officials have - and haven't - done to prevent another deadly blackout.
• Utah explored how a dried up Great Salt Lake could mean an environmental nuclear bomb."
• Vermont revisited Virginia Woolf's life and her most savage insults.
• Virginia fell for the love story behind Wordle.
• Washington mulled over the busyness trap."
• Washington D.C. was intrigued by the story of how an Ivy League school turned against a student.
• West Virginia was absorbed by a deep dive into a 2009 amusement park tragedy.
• Wisconsin wanted to sleep better.
• Wyoming radically reconsidered what can be learned from the suffering at the center of the Bible's Book of Job.

Did your state's top story resonate? Did it represent your state accurately? Let us know and tag us at @Pocket on Twitter and Instagram.

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