We present an effective model for particle mass generation in which we extract generic features of the Higgs mechanism that do not depend on its interpretation in terms of a Higgs field. In this model the physical vacuum is assumed as a medium at zero temperature which is formed by virtual fermions and antifermions interacting among themselves through the intermediate gauge bosons of the standard model without Higgs sector. As a consequence the fermions acquire their masses from theirs interactions with the vacuum and the gauge bosons from the charge fluctuations of the vacuum. This effective model is completely consistent with the physical mass spectrum, in such a way that the left-handed neutrinos are massive. The masses of the electroweak gauge bosons are properly predicted in terms of the experimental fermions masses and the running coupling constants of the strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions.