Is Niles Crane's IQ Higher Than Frasier's?

"Frasier" exemplified high-brow humor, particularly in scenes between Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) and his brother, Niles (David Hyde Pierce). They have many comedic yet intelligent conversations with one another, but it's worth asking which one is smarter than the other (at least in terms of IQ). 

It's important to note that IQ tests can be problematic and aren't necessarily the best indicator of overall intelligence. However, many TV shows use IQ scores to show off a character's intelligence, so for these purposes, we'll take "Frasier" at face value to answer the question, "What is Niles' IQ?" In "Frasier" Season 6, Episode 19 — "IQ" — Niles and Frasier see their sibling rivalry get pretty intense when they compare their childhood IQ scores. Frasier's IQ is 129, which would be higher than 98% of people within his age group, while Niles' comes in at 156, making him smarter than 99.99% of people in his age bracket. 

It's far from the most scientific definition, but going off of these metrics, Niles could be considered a genius while Frasier is also incredibly intelligent. Their mother kept the results hidden from them up until this point and for good reason, as the revelation results in nasty bickering throughout the episode, leading to an incredibly awkward restaurant encounter with other geniuses.

As mentioned before, IQ tests don't necessarily indicate who's "smarter," which is already a fairly nebulous concept to begin with. Someone may not necessarily be book smart, but they have skills in other areas. It makes sense the topic of determining who's smarter between Frasier and Niles has come up in the fandom before, with people having a variety of takes.

One Reddit thread dissects the issue, with u/Stuvio making this noteworthy observation, "Niles is intellectually more gifted, but Frasier is more empathic and socially gifted. So in his field, I would say Frasier is the smartest. Also, he seems less confined to living a life well rounded, whereas niles is often plagued by fears and neuroses." Frasier's supremacy in social situations can be seen in the sheer number of women he manages to date throughout the 11 seasons of "Frasier." While he does make awkward encounters every now and then, there's obviously a charm to him, as Niles has a far more difficult time eventually trying to get with Daphne (Jane Leeves).

Of course, some fans have some pretty intriguing takes, like Redditor u/esgarf, "Martin. Frasier and Niles are more educated by far, but Martin applies his knowledge to life far better than Frasier or Niles." Martin Crane (John Mahoney) is the father of Frasier and Niles and is far more down-to-earth. He's more blue-collar than his sons, and he displays more genuine wisdom from time to time. It goes to show there are all kinds of intelligence; it's simply a matter of what's needed in a given situation.