Are books written by Ph.D. researchers who have spent their academic lives studying a topic considered "self help"? If so, not all "self help" books are alike.

Are books written by Ph.D. researchers who have spent their academic lives studying a topic considered "self help"? If so, not all "self help" books are alike. My strategy has been to read books like "Stumbling on Happiness" - written by Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard Ph.D. -- rather than by journalists who only tangentially explore a subject to pump out yet another book.