I haven't read these papers, so maybe I'm missing something, but this seems at first glance to be (yet another) misunderstanding of correlation v. causation. Maybe happy people are more likely to have the energy/enthusiasm to try new experiences; maybe happy people are less likely to succumb to impulse buying and generally spend their money more wisely; maybe they're less phased by the loss of something uninsured, etc. An 8-step program to happiness sounds overly simplistic to me.