dopamine wave pool

The dopamine wave-pool analogy compares your dopamine baseline to the pool’s water level and dopamine-driven motivation or reward to waves. Small or infrequent waves leave the water level fairly steady; repeated, large waves can splash water out and lower the baseline, followed by a deeper dip in motivation. 1

The analogy is meant to show why the size and frequency of dopamine peaks matter—not just the peak itself—and why recovery of the baseline matters too. 2