I’d call it an a-rationality quote, in the sense that it’s just an observation; one backed up by evidence but with no immediate relevancy to the topic of rationality.
On second thought, it does show a kind of bias, namely the “compete-for-limited-resources” evolutionary imperative which introduced the “bias” of treating most social phenomena as zero-sum games. Bias in quotes because there is no correct baseline to compare against, tendency would probably be a better term.
I’d call it an a-rationality quote, in the sense that it’s just an observation; one backed up by evidence but with no immediate relevancy to the topic of rationality.
On second thought, it does show a kind of bias, namely the “compete-for-limited-resources” evolutionary imperative which introduced the “bias” of treating most social phenomena as zero-sum games. Bias in quotes because there is no correct baseline to compare against, tendency would probably be a better term.
But it is descriptive of how we are actually wired; perhaps it would be better if happiness were not relative, but it is.