Asking questions does not make you seem un-smart. In fact, asking good or genuine questions makes you seem intelligent enough to recognize your known unknowns, confident enough to admit it, and implies that you understood everything else they said.

While this is plausibly true of a fair chunk of the experiences people on LW have, from the human norm it is a rather odd situation where this holds.

Different cultures do things differently.

Asking questions gives the other person the opportunity to teach you something, which will make them like you more.

An extensive answer to a question is a form of investment. It won't make them like you more. It will make them more likley to invest in you further, much like generally speaking a person is more willing to do you a large favour after they did you a small one.

This is not the same as them liking you more.

The other person may feel grateful that you asked something they also wanted the answer to.

True, but most of the warm fuzzies will go to the person answering the question.

People like to have fun. Being good-natured about being laughed at sometimes (in a non-meanspirited way), means that people associate you with positive feelings.

True. But your relative status matters here a lot.