Is Permanent Sad Face a real condition?

TikTok has helped improve awareness of many conditions and their related symptoms and one viral clip has got people debating about whether Permanent Sad Face, or PSF, is real.

In a clip that’s been viewed over 1.1 million times, TikTok user Elise Ecklund claimed: “I’ve never smiled before on my entire life.”

She continued: “I didn’t even smile on my wedding day. I suffer from a condition called PSF – it stands for Permanent Sad Face, so keep me in your prayers.”

She also shared a picture from her wedding day that showed her with a neutral facial expression.

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But what is PSF and is it a real condition?

The short answer is, no. “Permanent Sad Face” is not an official or recognised health condition that makes it impossible for people to smile.

What she experiences may bear some relation to the “resting bitch face” which occurs when a person unintentionally appears angry, annoyed or irritated when they are simply just at rest.

In the comments on Ecklund’s TikTok, It was pointed out by other users that the TikToker appeared to be smiling in some of her older videos, so many concluded she must be joking.

One TikToker pointed out: “you are smiling in you profile pic just saying.”

Someone else joked: “she watched 0000.1 seconds of Wednesday Addams.”

Another said: “look at her videos from 2020.”

Elsewhere on TikTok, one daughter made her dad’s novel a best-seller after a viral video.

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