One theory is that it's genetic. Scientists have even found a gene they call the "snacking gene" a gene that seems to control hunger's "off switch." One copy of the gene (inherited from one parent) was associated with higher body weights, and two copies of the gene (inherited from both parents) was associated with even higher weights.
And it's not the only noshing gene, as to some degree most animals have some tendency to eat when food is available (especially if highly flavorful food is available). In the natural world, waiting until you're quite hungry, might mean you waited until it's too late. Staying a little bit ahead of hunger is probably a universal instinct. And even lab animals will eat when bored. If you give lab animals nothing to occupy their time, many will spend it eating if food is available.
I am NOT NOT NOT saying that a person can't conntrol snacking, just that the tendency and urge to seek food (hunting and foraging) is at least partially inherited. It's also culturally and environmentally reinforced (or not - in some cultures snacking is uncommon - usually cultures in which food is scarce).
Now what's great about being human is that instinct isn't destiny. And you can focus your browsing instincts in other directions or even distract yourself from it entirely.
Some scientists say that our browsing/hunting/foraging instincts can be channeled into other "seeking" behaviors - browsing for information online or in libraries, shopping (ideally not for food), birdwatching, collecting...."
From a survival perspective (where in the natural environment there's strong competition for food, so overpopulation tends to occur before widespread obesity), eating when the opportunity arises may have survival value over eating only when physically hunger.
Unfortunately in the modern world, at least where food is not scarce, such a tendency no longer has survival value. So we have to use our conscious intelligence to outsmart our instincts.
Which I think is why that browsing mode (at least in my experience) always seems to crop up during "autopilot" mode. When I'm bored, and not entirely paying attention to what I'm doing, is when I find myself in the cupboards looking for "something" but I'm not sure what. I start with my teas (which would be ok to have), but my eyes drift into other areas of the cupboard (ooh, that would go nicely with the tea....)
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