Left: Image of active region with SHARP-number 3048² in AIA channel 171, close before the occurrence of an M1.5 flare on 12 August 2013 (SOL2013-08-12T10:21). Middle: Evolution of the survival curves showing some minor fluctuations, but the overall trend is clearly visible. Right: Mean lifetimes make the fluctuations in the survival curve evolution clearer. However, Gaussian smoothing is able to remove these variations and extract a clear trend. Regular flares of C-type intensity occur starting ∼30 hours before the M1.5 flare, explaining the early convergence of the mean lifetime toward zero.