There is a significant body of research in "naturalistic designs" of augmented reality (AR), concerning different fields (medicine, education, arts etc). Although naturalistic approaches have the potential to enable new forms of experiencing and experimenting with AR technologies, it remains unclear how they can impact participants' motivation. From within an evaluation of the relevant literature and research results pertaining to naturalistic approaches to AR technology, this study aims to show how naturalistic approaches can be particularly effective in increasing the usefulness of the three widely recognized types of AR (marker-based AR, markerless and location-based AR). This study presents the results of an analysis of a review of articles of the peer-reviewed literature on naturalistic approaches applied to AR, considering the advantages, disadvantages and effectiveness of the combination of naturalistic approaches with AR across various domains. In total 33 studies published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences were analyzed. The implications of this research are that naturalistic approaches applied to AR technology help to foster positive attitudes towards AR, to facilitate collaboration and to enhance the users' social collaboration, personal development and skills in the use of AR software. Among all domains of applications of AR with naturalistic approaches (education, medicine, digital arts, cultural heritage), the domain of human-computer interaction has attracted more attention in experimental researches. Also, motion-sensing input devices are the kind of technology which appears more beneficial for these fields.