Sounds bogus to me. You could have tons of friction and still feel "smooth".

For a given cadence and power output, the chain will be moving faster in the big ring, and the tension in the chain will be less. Both would seem to increase felt smoothness.

IMO, a lack of smoothness (where you get a vibration from each link of the chain engaging) comes from a worn drivetrain, probably chain and cogs/chainrings worn to different pitches...