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I think there is a very genuine sense in which people these days are embarassed, as Mark says, to say what is in their heart (although I imagine it is no longer OK to speak of the "heart" as the seat of emotion in the same way that, as I was recently advised in these pages, it is no longer "good form" to speak of the "soul" as the seat of other sensibilities).
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That's right, Philip. Given the prevailing social atmosphere of rationalism and materialism, any experience beyond this tight and impoverished consciousness is bound to cause embarrassment. The rational ego must believe that it is the captain of the ship, and so any rumblings from below deck must be suppressed. Like a rumbling tummy at a sophisticated dinner party, such uncontrolled rude noises are not to be mentioned in polite society.
In the same way, expressions of strong emotion are embarrassing to the rational, Apollonic ego.
It says: "Poor form, old bean. I say, do try to keep a stiff upper lip old chum, you're letting the team down."
There is always a chance that the current economic crisis will be good for poetry - as Les Murray says, "Rich cultures can't afford poetry/ Poor ones can." Wealth (or as we now realise, the fantasy of wealth) is conducive to superficiality and thinness of consciousness.