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Do writers listen in on your private conversations?  Hell, yes!
I've been known to follow bickering spouses through the aisles of office supply stores just to listen to their dialogue.  Two weeks ago I stepped outside of a store to spy on a frustrated step-father speaking to his wayward teen on his mobile phone.  "I am not your mama!" he said.  "Don't even think about leaving that crib or I will make you sorry."  The cadence and his body language radiated frustration and the struggle to control the uncontrollable (free will).
                On occasion I even show a modicum of restraint, like in a potentially life-threatening situation when the agitated voice on the PA of on a Metro North Train made the following announcement:  "Could I have a state trooper to the back of the train, right now!"  In this case, I elected to keep my seat in the front of the train rather than shift cars.  At least, I think it was the front.
                Most recently I sat in a booth in a diner with my back to an older woman unloading on her girlfriend.  How could my ears not perk up when I heard her say, "I've hated her since the first day of my first breath!"  But wait, it gets better.  She then went on to describe her nephew as follows, "He's the one who said he was gonna come to my apartment, kick down my door and beat me to death with my cane."
                Dinner and a floor show.  How can I beat that?
                The best part is that I can rationalize my snooping because it helps me learn how people actually speak when they are in conflict.  This is a key skill for creating believable dialogue.  And every time you go out in public embroiled in conflict, if I'm nearby, I get a free lesson.
So you just keep on arguing with your daughter in the mall, screaming at your husband on your mobile phone in the grocery, and reasoning with your toddler as he kicks the books off the top of the displayed in the store.  Don't mind me.