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The progressive aging of the population forces the administrations with competences in sanitary matters to intervene on the adverse effects of the lack of physical or functional activity (depression, anxiety, cognitive deterioration and vital dissatisfaction among others). The aim of this study was to verify if the level of occupation in basic activities of daily life or leisure of a sample of people over 55 years has influence on the degree of cognitive functioning and their life satisfaction. This is a cross-sectional study, with a non-probabilistic convenience sample carried out with 302 persons over 55 years of age from several active participation centres (CPA) in the province of Almería (Spain). The instruments used for the assessment included the Mini Cognitive Examination, the Philadelphia Satisfaction Scale and the Senior Occupational Behavior Questionnaire (C-COM). The multigroup analysis of the data also included a structural model using path analysis. The results have verified the influence of occupation on cognitive deterioration and life satisfaction in both men and women. Leisure activities provide greater life satisfaction than the occupations of daily life. The attitude toward aging has been the factor that has shown a greater correlation with the occupational level of the person. The data support the need for adequate recommendations for the design of specific programs that favor individual and collective interventions focused on exercise, the prevention of cognitive deterioration and the promotion of life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]