Do you suppose he went into the wilderness with the express purpose of impressing girls? I doubt it. He was probably more interested in the scenery.

If I understand Hanson's thread of thought, signaling doesn't need to be 'express'. Given the value of self-deception, signaling might well be better off hiding itself from consciousness.

And even so, signaling gives information. If I pick my nose in public, I'm sending powerful signals to the people around me - both about my hygiene and my social adeptness - but am I expressly thinking about those consequences? I'm more likely to be thinking 'Aah, that's better!'