Bridging the Gap Through Common Features: The Semantic Structure of Creative Metaphors

Metaphors are common and useful in real-world creations; yet, the semantic structure of creative metaphors is not well understood. This study used large language models to quantify semantic distances among the target, base, and common feature in 1,212 metaphors from 133 participants. The findings revealed that higher ratings of metaphor creativity were associated with greater target-feature and base-feature semantic distances rather than the target-base distance. Notably, a pervasive information gap was identified in participant-generated metaphors, where the target-feature semantic distance was greater than the base-feature distance. Information gap, semantic distances, and their interaction positively contributed to the creativity of metaphors, supporting the Conceptual Metaphor Theory and the associative combination view of creativity. Furthermore, information gap predicted divergent thinking and creative self-identity at the participant level. Our work extends the associative theory of creativity in the use of figurative speech: creative metaphors combine distant associations by bridging the target and base through a common feature, thereby enriching the target domain with novel insights.