I'm not sure that happiness == hedonism? I would contend that most people spend too much time and effort chasing eg "being an expert in field x" or "getting a job with consultancy k" because they mistakenly think it's a good thing in and of itself.

Maybe I'm wrong! Maybe our goals should be lofty and our own happiness tangential - but I don't buy it. If anything I think more people should think about things that make them happy, rather than focussing on abstract life goals that may or may not do that.