"I used to be fascinated by romance," Taylor Swift says. "Now I'm more realistic."
Indeed she is. After enduring high-profile breakups with Joe Jonas, Conor Kennedy, Taylor Lautner, John Mayer and Harry Styles (to name a few), the "Shake It Off" singer, 24, has sworn off men for now.
"The last couple of years have been about defining life on my own terms," the pop star explains in People's 40th anniversary issue. "Being on my own, prioritizing my girlfriends, my family and my music above everything else and trying things I never thought I'd try. It's a really liberating and freeing time."
Swift's new music is a reflection of her current state. "Emotionally speaking, 1989 is not a heartbreak record. My music is derived from what's happening in my personal life, and I haven't had my heart broke," the singer-songwriter tells the magazine. "You're not going to her, oh, like, 'boyfriend dissing.'"
That's good news for Styles, Swift's most recent ex-boyfriend. "When I'm deeply hurt, I usually respond by writing exactly how I feel in a song, but I just haven't been devastated in the last couple of years," the former country singer explains. "I made the decision to spend time on my own and figure out who I am."
Instead of going on dates, Swift says she's been cultivating her friendships with Lena Dunham, Jaime King and Lorde. "My group of friends are the most important thing to me right now," says Swift, who also counts Selena Gomez as a BFF. "They are so fun and know me and like me for who I actually am."
What will it take for Swift dip her toes back in to the dating pool?
"I'm not going to compromise the happiness and independence that I've found for just anybody. The idea of a date gives me a partial panic attack!" the seven-time Grammy Award winner says. "It includes 40 paparazzi cameras shooting through windows at us, and that's not relaxing or alluring for me. That makes me want to crawl under the couch and hide! But I'm fine! I have two cats. That's all I need."
(Good news for Meredith and Olivia Benson!)
"It would take an astonishing human for me to even consider getting back into a relationship. It would take something really, really, really, really different—a kind of a one-in-a-million person for me to face all that," she adds. "I don't have any kid of idea who I'd want to be with, because I don't have any pieces missing from my life right now. I'm not looking for anything to complete. I think that's a nice place to be."
For more from Swift, pick up People's 40th anniversary issue, available Friday.