Insula Grey Matter Volume Moderates the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Domain-Specific Creativity

Emotional intelligence (EI) is linked to enhanced cognitive and social functioning, but its neurostructural correlates and relationship with domain-specific creative achievement remain poorly understood. This study examined 266 young adults using the Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), the Creative Achievement Questionnaire (CAQ), and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to test how the brain shapes the EI-creativity relationship. We found that (a) EI was positively related to creative achievement, particularly in artistic domains (dance, creative writing, humour); (b) higher EI was associated with smaller grey matter volume in the superior insular circular sulcus; and (c) right insula volume moderated the EI-creativity relationship in a subdivision- and domain-specific manner: in the superior subdivision, the EI-creativity link strengthened as insula volume decreased, whereas in the anterior subdivision, the EI-scientific creativity link strengthened as insula volume increased. These findings indicated that insular grey matter volume, a hub for emotion-cognition integration, shapes how emotional competence translates into creative achievement, with opposite structural signatures across different insular subregions and creative domains.