Taylor Swift likes to be "challenged" by her friends

Speaking on 'Good Morning America', she said: "I choose my friends based on people I have things in common with or people who challenge me.

"Honestly, I think that there's something really inspiring about being around people who know what they want, people who are passionate about something. You want to be around smart, exciting people -- I think that that brings you up."

The 24-year-old beauty also spoke of the message behind her new single, 'Shake It Off'. and how people should try not to worry about those who "don't understand" them and defy their mean comments by "having fun".

She added: "The message in the song is a problem we all deal with, an issue we deal with on a daily basis -- we don't live just in a celebrity takedown culture, we live in a takedown culture.

"People will find anything about you and twist it to where it's weird or wrong or annoying or strange or bad. You have to not only live your life in spite of people who don't understand you, you have to have more fun than they do."