It is not what a government determined to get people off benefits wants to hear, but a study has thrown cold water on the idea that those who don't work are less happy than those who do.

New research has found that although the jobless are generally less satisfied with their lot than people in work, their day-to-day emotional wellbeing remains the same. The paradox, identified by a group of German economists, is published in this week's Economic Journal.

Their study is the first to use the "day reconstruction method", developed by Nobel economics laureate Daniel Kahneman, that combines a time-use survey with the empirical measurement of people's happiness. A total of 600 employed and unemployed respondents were asked to construct a diary of the previous day, listing all the activities they engaged in and how they felt during each one.

In line with previous research, the study found unemployed people are less satisfied with their life in general. But when it comes to their emotions on a specific day, the unemployed have the same average level of positive and negative feelings as the employed. Or, as the title of the study explains, the unemployed are "dissatisfied with life, but having a good day".

The authors note: "Whether people are in a job or not, they almost all report being happiest during leisure time. The employed, however, are least happy when at work or commuting. Since the unemployed can spend that time on leisure, their unemployment hurts much less emotionally than previously thought."