Learning to lament: a randomized controlled trial of a group lament intervention to increase flourishing

Lament, a structured form of Judeo-Christian prayer, was evaluated for its potential as a positive psychological intervention to enhance well-being in a 6-week group-based program entitled Learning to Lament. In a randomized controlled trial with 95 Protestant Christians experiencing distress from difficult life events, participants were randomly assigned to the lament intervention or an active comparator. Both groups showed significant increases in flourishing outcomes, including Christian flourishing, general flourishing, life satisfaction, positive affect, and adjustment to the stressor (based on linguistic analysis), and reductions in negative affect. While between-group differences were not significant for self-report measures, linguistic analysis (LIWC) of participants’ written narratives about their stressful experiences approached significance, suggesting lament may be superior to the comparator in enhancing meaning-making. Participant satisfaction was high, with strong endorsement of the program’s usefulness and effectiveness. This study provides the first RCT evidence that structured lament practices can improve well-being in distressed individuals.