The phrase you put in quotation marks is not an actual quote from the interview, and I didn't interpret it as suggesting this. An actual quote is: "So for most

The phrase you put in quotation marks is not an actual quote from the interview, and I didn't interpret it as suggesting this. An actual quote is: "So for most of human history, loneliness or boredom were just accepted features of the human condition." In my view it's different to say that boredom and loneliness were accepted _when they occured_, rather than saying they were the norm, which might mean they were experienced most of the time.