Women might say what they really want is an intellectual, job-having, problem-solving, understanding man.

But what they go for is often what appeals first to their eyes -- just like guys do.

New research from Caltech, the home of the rocket scientist, delves into even more complex matters -- human mating and speed dating -- and discovers what women and men really want:

Caltech researchers looked at 39 male and female volunteers not only as they speed-dated, but as they looked at photos of potential mates. During the latter, their brains were scanned via MRI machines.

The research, published this month in the Journal of Neuroscience, concludes, according to Caltech, that ...

... The first factor in determining whether someone gets a lot of date requests is physical attractiveness.

That applied to both sexes.

More surprising, researchers say, was a secondary "snap judgement," this one using a different part of the brain and focused on "individual compatibility."

According to Caltech, subjects also ...

... showed more activation in the rostromedial prefrontal cortex (RMPFC), which is also a part of the DMPFC, but sits farther in front than the paracingulate cortex. The RMPFC has been previously associated with consideration of other people's thoughts, comparisons of oneself to others, and, in particular, perceptions of similarities with others.

Again, both sexes. The school says that if two guys are equally good-looking, a woman will go for the nice one. (Really!?). Caltech:

While good looks remains the most important factor in determining whether a person gets a date request, a person's likeability -- as perceived by other individuals -- is also important. For example, likeability serves as a tiebreaker if two people have equal attractiveness ratings. If someone thought a potential date was more likeable than other people did, then that someone was more likely to ask for a date.

Now you know, Hollywood douchebags. Now you know.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]