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Metaphors are common and useful in real-world creations, yet the understanding of what makes them creative from the perspective of associative thinking remains limited. This study used a large language model to measure semantic distances among target, base, and common feature (CF) in 1,212 metaphors from 133 participants. It discovered that greater semantic distances were associated with higher creativity. Notably, a gap of information (GoI) was identified, revealing that the target-CF distance exceeded the base-CF distance. A three-way interaction was detected. Metaphors with high levels of GoI, complexity, and target-base distance were the most creative. Individuals skilled at generating metaphors with GoI showed higher divergent thinking originality and creative self-identity. This research extends the associative theory of creativity by demonstrating how creative metaphors integrate distant associations: they bridge the target and base through a common feature and enrich the target domain with novel insights.
Yang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.