We've abstracted so much in life as a transactional situation through which our system of exchange, money, holds power to do so much. It shouldn't be surprising that the some of most useful resources to accomplish tasks in life or even necessary to survive are so sought after.
If we adjust the incentives of life a bit so people aren't constantly looking for another buck to make sure they can actually retire or pay their mortgage off, assure they have access to healthcare when they inevitably get sick, and so on we might find a lot more people would invest their time towards other contributions in society rather than those that they find that compensate them the most.
I agree that the transactional mindset is part of the problem. The irony is that the research seems to imply that an awful lot of our happiness can be improved from taking a different mindset.
If we adjust the incentives of life a bit so people aren't constantly looking for another buck to make sure they can actually retire or pay their mortgage off, assure they have access to healthcare when they inevitably get sick, and so on we might find a lot more people would invest their time towards other contributions in society rather than those that they find that compensate them the most.