No que diz respeito à ficção, esta data remonta pelo menos a Second Stage Lensman , originalmente serializada em novembro de 1941 a fevereiro de 1942:
Kinnison had never before met that particular form of attack, but he knew instantly what it was - knew that neither armor of proof nor screen of force could stop it. He knew that the thing was real only to the woman and himself, that it was not only invisible, but non-existent to everyone else. He also knew how ultimately deadly the creature was, knew that if claw or fangs should strike him he would die then and there.
Veja também o conceito do mundo real de Voodoo Death , em torno do mesmo período de tempo:
Voodoo death, a term coined by Walter Cannon in 1942 also known as psychogenic death or psychosomatic death, is the phenomenon of sudden death as brought about by a strong emotional shock, such as fear.
(Mais especulativamente, parece-me que a ideia de que o Voodoo só pode ferir você se você acredita nele pode ter se originado em o esforço deliberado para banalizar a religião vodu após a revolução haitiana em 1791.