Again, I am no bear expert, however I have hiked, camped and lived in bear territory bears for much of my life. I have literally come face to face with many bears in less then 10 feet distance. In almost all cases, once the bear senses you he/she will turn tail and run.

In my experience, those bears that didn't run, I don't recall any incidents where eye to eye contact made any difference(YMMV though). That said, observing the bears' body language and behavior is crucial as at the same time, the bear is also studying your behavior. How you react to the bears' presence will greatly influence if you are about to have a bad day or not...

There are plenty of bear experts out there, keep in mind that many have never personally encountered a bear in the wild closeup and as usual, don't blindly take any one person's "expert" advice as gospel.

That said, Charlie Russell is one of the foremost Grizzly experts in the world and his documentary "Bear Man of Kamchatka" is nothing short of outstanding. The documentry follows Mr. Russell researching and living amongst Grizzlies. After watching this documentary, it will change your views on many aspects of bear behavior.