The use of nicknames at a young age, even if they are not that polite, improves social skills and helps children develop a sense of humour, according to Dr Erin Heerey, a psychologist at Bangor University, North Wales.
Dr Heerey’s view is that teasing and nicknames are an essential part of life and should not automatically be confused with bullying. She says that personal nicknames such as "lurch", "shorty" or "chubs" could even make children more popular in the long run.
The way American Dr Heerey sees it is that teasing helps children to discover how to use their bodies, voices and faces to communicate nuances of meaning. "If everybody's smiling there's no reason to step in and stop it," she says. "The children are learning about social norms and how to interact with each other.
"I think it takes a while for kids to gain proficiency. You can watch teenagers queuing up to buy a movie ticket and they banter with one another. They say really horrible things to one but they are all laughing and it's all fun."
The academic reached her views after carrying out research into the role that teasing plays in US college fraternities. She found older students mocked newcomers with crude nicknames about drunkenness and other failings in a way that encouraged them to change their behaviour and helped group bonding.
The study - with Dacher Keltner of California University - found that these "playful humiliations" led to people becoming better friends.
When the researchers revisited the group two years later, students who had been the butt of jokes were in leadership positions and playing the same role of passing on social norms.
She says: "It's absolutely essential in building teams. In my workplace people engage in these teasing, bantering, off-record comments all the time. It allows people to get along and build better relationships with one another."
Dr Heerey, originally from Wisconsin, says British people seemed more serious with their teasing than Americans. "People will say something outlandish with a totally straight face. But people in Britain poke fun at themselves a little bit more than Americans. As an American, you're expecting to see these non-verbal cues that say 'I'm joking' but you don't see them - but they are there and you just have to look a little closer."
© GEMS Education
