Question: Recently I walked through Dolomites in Italy, and there was a warning sign that this is bear-encounter area. There were tips on what to do in general. But one of tips was "if bear approaches you aggressively, don't move and be passive".

Bears in this area are brown.

Why? If bear wants to eat me or kill me, I would prefer to make it at least a bit more difficult to him. I know I will die anyway, so why wouldn't I at least try to die "like a manly man (TM)".

Answer: 
Brown bears mostly just want to assert dominance. By being passive/playing dead it is more likely to "give up" and walk away than keep attacking. [Per NPS...](https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/safety.htm#:%7E:text=Brown%2FGrizzly%20Bears%3A%20If%20you,the%20bear%20in%20the%20face.)

> 
> **Brown/Grizzly Bears**: If you are attacked by a brown/grizzly bear, leave your pack on and **PLAY DEAD**. Lay ﬂat on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your neck. Spread your legs to make it harder for the bear to turn you over. Remain still until the bear leaves the area. Fighting back usually increases the intensity of such attacks. However, if the attack persists, fight back vigorously. Use whatever you have at hand to hit the bear in the face.
> 
> 
> 

An important note that this doesn't hold true for all kinds of bears. See the above link for more general info on bear attacks.
Brown bear attacks tend to be defensive attacks, where the bear is trying to protect its cubs, territory or food. The bear usually isn't attacking you because it wants to eat you, but is trying to neutralize a perceived threat. By playing dead, a brown bear may not perceive you as a threat anymore, and may leave you alone. Fighting back may make the bear more aggressive, as it senses a greater need to defend against a dangerous creature in its territory.

Black bear attacks, on the other hand, tend to be predatory in nature - the bear is attacking you with the purpose of killing and eating you. Playing dead in this scenario won't help, it'll just make you an easier lunch.

The common saying about bears is, "if it's brown lie down, if it's black fight back, and if it's white say goodnight". Just hope you're not attacked by a polar bear.