Jennifer Lopez Tells ‘Interview’ She’s “Not Looking for Anybody” New After Ben Affleck Divorce: “Only Took 30 Years [To Realize] I Have to Have Happiness In Myself…Be on My Own”

In a surprisingly candid chat conducted by EMMY-nominated actress and comedienne Nikki Glaser, Lopez – when not dazzling the ‘Interview’ pages in designer duds like Balenciaga, Tom Ford, Dior, and more – opened up about how the turbulent summer changed her perspective on dating.

“Everything that I’ve done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I f–king do when it’s just me flying on my own … what if I’m just free?” she asked.

And while she admitted singlehood was daunting, even branding the experience as “lonely,” “unfamiliar,” “scary,” “sad,” and “desperate,” J.Lo says she finally understands “being in a relationship doesn’t define” her.

“When you sit in those feelings and go, ‘These things are not going to kill me,’ it’s like, ‘Actually, I am capable of joy and happiness all by myself. Being in a relationship doesn’t define me. I can’t be looking for happiness in other people. I have to have happiness within myself,” she relayed.

Now, Lopez says she wants to focus on her relationship with herself and tap into spirituality more.

“The relationship with yourself, for me, is the relationship with myself being cultivated in this moment and my relationship with God, that I think we tend to get away from at times, when you’re wrapped up with other people. And God has always been such a big part of my life,” she said.

All-in-all, the 55-year-old asserts there are other ways to be happy outside of romance.

“For people who are romantics and love being in relationships and want to grow old with somebody, we think, ‘I have to have that to be whole and happy.’ And you don’t,” she relayed.