For parents who worry that their short child will be psychologically damaged from merciless teasing, a new University of Michigan study provides reassurance that there will likely be no lasting effects from any exposure to short jokes.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the study - which appears in the September issue of Pediatrics - found that short children reported being teased only slightly more than their peers, but such teasing didn't appear to affect their popularity or relationships with other children. And, short children were no more likely than their peers to have symptoms of depression.

"The gist of our study is that parents and pediatricians should be reassured by this," study author Dr. Joyce Lee, an assistant professor in pediatric endocrinology at the University of Michigan, told the AJC. "For kids below the 10th percentile [on standardized growth charts], there didn't seem to be any significant outcomes in terms of popularity or in peer victimization reported by the teachers."