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Most "other" languages don't have Lisp-like macros, so I'm not sure what you are talking about here.

I don't think Lisp is much more difficult to like, on the contrary, out of all the languages I know well (C, C++, Python, Java, Common Lisp) not only do I find CL _by far_ the easiest to write but also that it puts me in a state of flow (= unparalleled mental clarity, focus and productivity) which doesn't easily happen with the others.

Credentials: I spent close to 10 years writing C++ at Google.

I certainly think that Lisp is very different to most popular programming languages today and that difference is immediately obvious. This makes it very easy for people who do not like leaving their comfort zone to dismiss Lisp simply because it "feels" too strange to what they're already familiar with.